Akai Senkou
by shinigamigirl196
Summary: "She's a prodigy, then?" Asuma raised his eyes slightly. "Don't let her hear you say that, she hates that kind of terminology. She considers prodigies people who dont have to work hard to be the best; her philosophy is the opposite. Besides, you don't end up with a name like 'Red Flash' without working hard and having some kind of skill." ShikaxOC, NaruxHina, InoxKank, GaaxMatsu
1. Left Behind

**Akai Senkou: Chapter One: Left Behind**

* * *

The morning was young in Konoha. The birds chirped and the wind whistled through the branches of the trees, giving off a peaceful feel, but that peace was fractured and one-sided, and there were two who stood on the opposite side, separated from the villagers and the other shinobi. They were cousins, distant blood relatives, the heirs of the Senju and Uzumaki (though many had forgotten of the Uzumaki) clans, and they bore a similar burden, though none knew of the girl's, after all it was the best kept secret since the identity of the child of the Yondaime. Word that she could utilize red chakra had been deliberately leaked to the public, and she was shunned as much as Naruto. It stung her a bit, to put herself through strenuous and rigorous training only to be shot down in an instant, as if she was less than dirt. The only happiness she had was her friends, cousin, teachers, and her boyfriend. Had being the operative word. The Village Council had made it clear through subtle actions that, if they had the opportunity, they would have her removed from the village, even if it meant in a body bag. She only chance was to prove that she was an asset to the village and she would, even if it killed her.

"You could fight against this decision if you wanted," The Sandaime Hokage informed the young ANBU carefully. "You could remain in Konoha-"

"With all due respect, Hokage-sama," she said calmly, albeit tiredly, "the Council has clearly spoken, I need to get away for awhile…to grow away from the…influence of the village. Self-study is something I've always been good at, besides, poison study is something that is done better without attachments to villages." She tugged absently tugged on the end of her short, sloppy crimson hair. "So, I'm going to formally request a twelve month training mission...None are allowed on my lands but the Nara Clan, and all my friends."

The Hokage blinked and she had vanished once more, her Tanuki mask twirling to a stop on his desk, long after the flash of red had been burned into his retinas. It didn't take him long to guess where she had gone, after all, she'd only had a few weeks of bliss before this horrid business had taken place. She would be on Nara land, with him.

And she was.

Her happuri lay discarded beside her, disappearing into the lush green grass as the girl rested her head on the shoulder of a boy her age. He had a constant look of boredom on his face, but his companion didn't mind it; after all, she found his personality to be endearing. And she found his appearance far more attractive than Uchiha Sasuke, with twice the balls, ten times the personality, and a hundred times the intelligence. His eyes were a soft, gentle brown, surrounded by thick sooty lashes, his facial structure favored his mother's, though he still bore a striking resemblance to his father, her sensei. Both of their gazes were fastened above, to where the clouds flowed seamlessly over the soft blue sky.

Nara Shikamaru had generally viewed women as loud, brash, and generally far too much work to deal with, but Senju Mito wasn't like that at all. She was intelligent –you had to be when you were apprenticed to someone like his father, the Jounin Commander- and calm, but also spontaneous with a temper if someone pushed her too far, fierce, and protective. She always greeted him with a smile, making faces at him when she lost at shogi. She could be shy, but she was very confident in her abilities, though not overconfident, she knew where to draw the line.

He traced her ANBU tattoos with a lazy finger, feeling the goose bumps erupt over the skin. "You're leaving, right? That twelve-month training trip, or something like that?"

A slow gust of air escaped her lips as she curled herself further into his side. "I want…more than anything to stay here, to stay with you," her fingers curled around his, "to stay with all my friends here, but I have to go, because I am not safe here, I am a danger to everyone here…" Her cool fingers curled around her happuri, identical to the one her great-grandfather, Tobirama, had once worn. She held out to him. "Hold onto this for me, Shikamaru-kun, will you? I will come back, I promise." She smiled, flushing as he cupped her cheek, pressing his lips to hers in a slow lazy kiss, her lips curling beneath his.

She sighed as he released her. "I'll miss you, Shikamaru-kun." Her lips lingered on the crown of his head, her Nara clan necklace catching the light, nearly blinding him as she straightened up, running a hand through her short crimson hair, her violet eyes glinting like purple kaleidoscopes.

"You're the strongest person I know, Mito!" Shikamaru called after her, smirking as she turned back, her cheeks flushed as she grinned.

"You're the smartest person I know, Shikamaru-kun!" she yelled back, throwing a wave as she headed back to the Senju compound, even though it wasn't necessarily true, as his father was probably the smartest person in the village.

No one noticed as Mito was engulfed in smoke, disappearing from Konoha all together. No one ever noticed.

When Mito opened her eyes once more she was in a place she hadn't been for quite some time. Returning to Mount Suisha made Mito nostalgic. She was the first person in a very long time to enter its domain, and that was only after being decidedly foolish –just like her godfather, Sandaime-sama had noted when he had had her explain just where she had been for two whole days, during which she had been unaccounted for- and attempted to use the **Kuchiyose no Jutsu** (Summoning Technique) without a summoning contract, landing her in the middle of a terrain that she did not recognize, with rather large tanuki peering down on her.

Mito inhaled the moist air from the many streams that flowed down from the mountain. Mount Suisha was very different from the other sacred lands of summoning animals, in that it appeared relatively normal, with simple springs and trees spread sparsely about, not as over-sized as Mount Myouboku.

"I did it!" a voice yipped. "Did you see that, Tou-san?! I summoned Mito-sama!"

Mito allowed an amused smile to break across her tired face. She recognized the tanuki kit instantly, after all, he was one of Arashi's brood.

"Well done, Bunseki," Arashi's familiar growling voice commented high above Mito's head, as he was one of the largest tanuki present on the mountain.

"Hello, Mito-sama!" Bunseki bounded up to Mito, pressing his front paws on her chest as he gave her cheek an enthusiastic lick. Mito chuckled and ruffled the fur of his head affectionately.

"Hello, Bunseki-san," she said simply, "you've grown." It was true; the last time she'd seen him, she could hold him easily in her hands, but now he was the size of a small dog, nothing compared to his father, though. Contrary to popular belief, tanuki weren't excessively fat, in fact, their appearance was reminiscent of wolves or foxes, only with some rather obvious differences, such as the darker color of the fur, the bushiness of the tail, and the black fur around the eyes.

"Yup!" Bunseki's lips pulled back to reveal his needle sharp teeth, grinning brightly at her. "I've been eating all my vegetables and meats, just like Kaa-san told me! And she says one day I'll be as big as Tou-san!"

"I'm sure you will," Arashi rumbled, "but Mito is late as it is, and Naoru-sama is expecting her."

Bunseki dropped from Mito, bowing his head, his ears falling back in defeat, lumbering away in a huff. A soft laugh escaped Mito as she patted Arashi's leg.

The normally quite humorous tanuki gazed her seriously. "I don't anticipate your stay being much longer than a few days, maybe a week, depending on your skills."

Her eyes narrowed and she nodded, bidding her friend goodbye as she hiked up the many stone steps that led to Naoru-sama's humble abode. The aged tanuki sage screamed when she saw her old apprentice, and then proceeded to throw her paws around the girl's neck. Naoru was very much like an old grandmother where Mito was concerned, dragging her to the dinner table and practically force feeding her a collection of deliciously spiced meats, fruits, and vegetables before sending her off to bed early amid laughter.

* * *

The training area at the Senju compound was quiet, deathly quiet, but that was to be expected, as Mito had been the only one who had lived on it when she wasn't away on missions, and it would be a year before she returned. Naruto sighed softly, the loneliness filling him up once more, but he squashed it down, settling into a familiar stance. It was a new style that Mito had developed just for him, called Tori Style. It was a Taijutsu form that incorporated the Goken style into a more fortified position. It was used for executing quick, jarring moves that could either unbalance the user or injure the enemy; it was a quick-response style, using a small amount of Mito's brute strength. She had promised to help him with it when she returned home, telling him to work hard on it while she was away, and maybe then, she'd teach him the **Hiraishin no Jutsu** (Flying Thunder God Technique)

Naruto leaned his weight proportionally on both his feet, spreading them slightly, his hands balled into fists, even with his shoulders as he struck the tree repeatedly and harshly.

"What'd that tree ever do to you?" a voice joked and Naruto twisted around suddenly to see his blonde friend.

Yamanaka Ino's green eyes twinkled at the Uzumaki. "Still moping because Mito's gone?"

He didn't dignify that with an answer, giving her only an indignant huff. Ino could be fun, or irritating, depending on what mood she was in, usually fun. She was one of Mito's apprentices, and she was really good at Medical Ninjutsu, but she was choosing to hide her skills, mainly because she wanted to "freak the shit out of Sakura in the Chuunin Exams."

"We're going to be late for school if you don't hurry," Ino said in a mild voice, eerily reminiscent of Mito's. "Or don't you remember what Mito said?"

Naruto stared at the blonde in surprise; he had forgotten. He laughed slightly, his memory returning from that moment.

"You like being unpredictable, cousin?" Mito's eyes had twinkled when she said that to her blonde cousin. "Then show them what the son of the Yondaime can do, show them _you_ can be the greatest deceiver." Still, Naruto doubted he could compare to Ino's deception.

Naruto had liked that idea when Mito suggested it, and he was going to stick by it, keeping on that idiot mask until his graduation.

Ino smiled kindly, holding out a hand to the morose boy. "Come on, I won't bite." The same could not be said for several minutes later, though Naruto was grateful her anger wasn't directed at him.

"YOU _BAKA_!"

Shikamaru had to duck as a heavy textbook was thrown at his head…though, he supposed he could've just hidden behind Naruto who was still engrossed in his book on Fuuinjutsu, seemingly unaware of his surroundings. "Troublesome blonde!" he groused, ducking again. "Stop throwing things at me!"

The rest of their class was looking on in avid interest, wondering just what Shikamaru had done to get Ino so riled up.

Ino was glaring venomously at her childhood friend, stabbing a finger in the lazy academy student's direction. "You aren't going to see your girlfriend for twelve months, the least you could've done was walk her out of the village, but no! You two had to have a romantic rendezvous instead!" It was hard to tell what exactly she was so mad about; the fact that he hadn't walked her out or the fact that she'd missed their goodbye.

"You're such a pain!" Shikamaru complained as Iruka-sensei entered the room, giving them new seats that unfortunately separated Naruto from the rest of his friends. Chouji and Naruto were the most vocal about it.

"Come on, Iruka-sensei!" Naruto complained. "Now I can't cheat off Ino on tests!"

He froze at the amount of Killer Intent directed in his direction. Ino cracked her knuckles dangerously, her light eyes glinting with malevolence that had even practiced shinobi like Iruka and Mizuki-sensei stepping back. "What do you just say, Naruto?!" she growled dangerously. "You copied off me?!"

It was at this moment that Naruto decided to take a chance and flee out the window, closely followed by an enraged Ino yelling expletives down the street after him. Hinata gazed at the window nervously, worrying about her best friend and crush.

"Maa, don't worry Hinata," Shikamaru drawled out lazily, "Ino's not going to kill him…hopefully." He didn't seem too worried about the male blonde in question.

"Here's to hoping," Chouji added, raising an invisible glass in a toast. He bent down to pick up the book to read the inscription inside the cover:

_To my favorite cousin, in the hopes that you will enjoy this field as much as your parents did._

_Yours, Mito. _

Chouji remembered that day, when Naruto came storming into the Nara compound, looking for Yoshino-oba of all people, going off a hunch of something Mito had said, something about his being the son of the Yondaime, and Chouji had to admit, son and father bore a remarkably resemblance to each other, if one looked properly. But most didn't.

_"You were really on the same squad as the Yondaime?" Ino asked in awe, staring at Yoshino as if she'd never quite seen her properly. "Under the great Sannin, Jiraiya?"_

_Yoshino laughed lightly. "Well, Minato was his favorite, but all sensei have favorites, someone they're slightly closer to; I suspect your own sensei will become closer to one of you when you become Genin, all sensei do."_

_"Who else was on your team?" Chouji asked, slurping up his soup, gazing at the woman intently._

_"Hyuuga Hizashi." Yoshino's smile was sad as she said that name. "He died back when you were all three, during the Hyuuga Incident; you're probably too young to remember it." She sighed. "I hear his son is more skilled than he was… anyways, back to Minato. He always seemed like a bit of a sissy to me, even back in the Academy," she said with a gleam in her eye, "you should have seen the way Kushina and I yelled at him and Shikaku…"_

_"Kushina, Yoshino-oba?" Naruto asked, still a bit overwhelmed. _

_"Uzumaki Kushina, your mother," Yoshino informed him, ruffling his bright blonde spikes affectionately. "She was a bit on the crazy side, a prankster, always saying dattebane this, dattebane that. Her brute strength rivaled Tsunade's, I believe, but I think Minato liked that about her."_

_"What'd she look like?" Naruto asked, his eyes wide with wonder._

_Yoshino held up a finger, stalling his speech momentarily as she riffled through one of her drawers to pull out a photo album, sifting through the pages until she reached the one she was looking for. "Ah! Here it is!"_

_They all stared intently and in surprise at the picture that was clearly of an infant Shikamaru fast asleep in the arms of a red-haired woman with whom Mito bore a striking resemblance to with her vibrant hair and violet eyes. "That was after we told her that we decided to name her and Minato Shikamaru's godparents, with Jiraiya being the default choice…our poor sensei was very sulky after that…" She pointed to the picture below it. "And that's Team Three and their respective children." A young man with soft features and dark brown hair was smiling pleasantly with his arms around his small son to the left of the picture, while the man and woman identified as Minato and Kushina embraced at the center, their smiles lighting up the photo, and Yoshino stood to the right, cradling a barely awake Shikamaru who was apparently on the vestiges of sleep, if how he was tucked into his mother's neck was anything to go by. "Kushina happened upon us right before we were going to take that photo," she admitted with a laugh._

_"But…I'm not there," Naruto said forlornly, "you said all their children, but I'm not-"_

_"Of course you're there!" Yoshino refuted, pointing at Kushina's bulging stomach. "See? That bump is you, kiddo."_

_Naruto took a moment to rub his eyes, hiding his tears._

_"You should have seen how excited they were when Kushina found out she was pregnant," Yoshino said softly, removing the picture from the page. "Here, this is for you, my adorable godson."_

_Naruto blushed brightly. "But, it's yours-!"_

_"Bah!" Yoshino waved him off with her hand. "I've got tons of extras, kiddo, don't worry."_

_"Arigatou," Naruto breathed, holding the photo reverently, as if it was worth more to him than the treasures of the world, which it probably was._

* * *

"What happened to Hiro-sama?" Mito asked the next day over breakfast. "I was surprised that he wasn't here when I got in."

Naoru was far from concerned. "Oh don't worry about that old lug," she said, waving a careless paw in reference to her husband and mate, "he's just on his annual fast."

"And he can't be near you or your food because it's just that good?" Mito guessed with a laugh."That makes sense, I guess."

Naoru chortled for a moment before her eyes sharpened. "Now that all our pleasantries are aside, we can properly discuss why you have returned."

She gave a small nod to the wise tanuki, coming around the table to lift her shirt and channel the barest bit of chakra through the surface of her skin, revealing the seal that lay beneath. Naoru nosed the girl's midriff as she stared at the seal intently. "If I'm correct," she mused, "this is a **Hakke no Fuuin Shiki (Eight Trigrams Sealing Style**). They're pretty rare to be used on Jinchuuriki, I believe you and that Kyuubi brat are the only ones with this kind of seal."

"Why's that?" Mito asked, releasing the hem of her shirt as she gazed at her teacher, curious to know the answer.

"Well, it takes a lot of skill, for one," Naoru admitted. "When Izanagi-baka used this seal on Karura-chan, he thought it backfired, and that was because he was unaware she was pregnant with twins. It never occurred to him that your seal would be far stronger than your brother's." Her eyes flashed up to meet Mito's. "Has it been burning you?"

"Quite a bit," Mito admitted. The pain had been a constant thorn in her side for the past few weeks, at that was at least two or three years after she'd accidentally woken Shukaku up after a surprise meeting with her siblings, when she had been gored through by a stake of sand, courtesy of her lovely twin brother, and by lovely, she meant unstable.

"Come with me!" Naoru leapt through the kitchen to the exit, disappearing out onto the deadly cliff.

"Great," Mito bemoaned, following cautiously all the same. The climb alone was treacherous all by itself, but that was nothing compared to the trial she would soon face. When she had finally caught up to the swift tanuki, she was in front of a spring, with a small waterfall flowing over sharp jutting rocks above, and a small green grassed island large enough for someone to sit on.

"Naoru-sama," she said, curiosity piqued, "what exactly is this place?"

"We call it the _Yami no Taki_," Naoru explained, stepping back from a small drink of the fresh water, "the Waterfall of Darkness, because it shows you the darkest side of yourself."

That had Mito reeling backwards slightly. "The darkest side…of me?" she gasped, remembering something her sensei used to tell her: _You're your own worst enemy, Mito-chan, there is no greater rival than your own abilities. _

"Are you _sure_ you want to go through with this?" Naoru implored, her dark fur glinting in the sunlight. "This training _will_ be dangerous. It could _kill _you."

_"You're the strongest person I know, Mito." _Shikamaru's words echoed in her ears like one symbol banging against another over and over again. She swallowed her fear and breathed in deeply, walking over the water to sit on the small island, closing her eyes.

"Why did you run away after the Nara brat gave you that kiss?" a cold voice uttered from beyond the waterfall, something red breaking through the surface until a whole figure stood before her. Mito couldn't help but stare. It was her, like she was looking in a mirror. Her vibrant hair, though soaked, was spikier than it had been in years; the rings around her eyes that were so slight were now thick, standing out darkly against the pallor of her skin; her eyes were cold and detached, and golden like Shukaku's; and her smirk exposed her canines which she had once sharpened with her chakra to scare off whoever she sought to frighten. It had never occurred to Mito just how dangerous and scary a six year old could seem. "Was it because he made your skin crawl? He made mine," she laughed cruelly.

"I didn't run away," Mito corrected hotly, "I was summoned."

"Same difference," she scoffed.

"Who're you?" Mito asked, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly.

"Haven't you guessed?" the girl mocked. "My, how standards have fallen for Senju-sama to take on a brainless student!"

"You're my dark side?" Mito asked, almost incredulous, disregarding that jibe at her intelligence; she had grown used to _that_ abuse after living in Konoha for so long.

"All those villagers," she said, ignoring Mito, her eyes hard, "treating you like scum because someone leaked that you had red chakra…well, it's not really surprising, is it? After all, Jinchuuriki are treated the same in every village, aren't they? And those fools didn't even know you were just like Naruto!" She burst out into high and cruel laughter as she finished speaking, bending over to brace herself against her knees.

Mito flinched at her words. They stung worse than burns.

Not-Mito smirked up at her. "You know, there's only one major difference between you and me… Shukaku likes me better!"

Not-Mito was all the anger she had held at bay for years, only now boiling to the surface. She was one of the things to drove Mito forward to defy the restraints of time and bodily strain, to become something renowned. That was how Konoha no Akai Senkou was borne.

"I gave you power," Not-Mito scorned her, "power to create your own destiny, but you threw it away…don't you remember that mission to Kusa?"

Mito froze, guilt and shame expanding inside her. The mission had been a success, but the enemy she and her sensei had faced and pushed her too far, and she had attacked, blinded with rage, drawing on the power of the Ichibi.

_"I'm a monster! That's what you're trying to say, isn't it!?" Mito yelled at her sensei, her hand sending the shogi board flying, standing and glaring, her eyes filled with sparkling tears. "So just say it, Shikaku-sensei! Say that there's nothing human about me, that there's nothing but power and death in my path! Say I don't deserve to live! Say I'm no descendant of Tobirama-ojii!"_

_Shikaku watched the rant that his apprentice gave him impassively, fully aware of his wife and son listening at the door, patiently waiting for the moment when her speech was stalled._

_"Don't talk about things you don't believe in, Mito-chan."_

_A startled gasp escaped her lips as she reeled back. "What did you say?!"_

_"Standing before me is a kunoichi who has the possibility for greatness, just like her mother." He said, his voice as mild as ever. "She is the only one I would ever take on as my apprentice. I don't care if she's one of the two Jinchuuriki of the Ichibi." His dark eyes froze her in her place and the tears began to freely fall. "Because she is my apprentice who hides everything behind that beautiful smile of hers," Shikaku leaned down so they were eye to eye, "but that mask is breaking and now you have to decide what you really are, and that scares you more than anything, doesn't it?"_

Mito closed her eyes, thinking long and hard. When she opened them, they glinted with determination.

"Since you are me, using force would be foolish, because anything I did to you would be reflected back onto me," she mused aloud.

Not-Mito's eyes narrowed. "You won't be able to kick me out of your subconscious either, if that's what you're planning."

Mito's smile this time reached her eyes. "You were lying earlier."

Her eyes widened slightly. "I don't know what you mean."

"About Shikamaru-kun," Mito informed her, "you liked it as much as I did, since you're, you know, _me_."

Not-Mito growled. "Why you-! Who cares if one boy likes you! The whole village scorns you, just like at Suna! They're all liars who only care about themselves! What gives them the right to treat us like outcasts?! Don't you remember all the pain and suffering you went through because of villagers who only thought of you as a monster?! I'm the one that's always been by your side! No matter how hard it got, how much pain we were in, I stayed! Because I'm the only one who will every understand you! You can't trust any of them! Even Shikaku-sensei's just pretending, even if you consider him a father figure!"

_The afternoon was young, the sun dappling the grass of the compound with light that filtered through the trees, spreading out through the wilderness. It was very quiet, but if one listened intently, they would be able to hear the steady hum of voices, but one didn't have to listen hard to hear the click of wood on wood._

_"Risky move, there," Shikaku commented, his voice low and gravelly, lazy, but sharp, black orbs surveyed the young girl that was his apprentice._

_"Some risks are worth taking, aren't they, Sensei?" she replied easily, her voice sly. "After all, your wife is practically a risk all by herself."_

_The Nara Head chuckled lightly on agreement concerning Yoshino. "Speaking of risks," he continued, taking her lance, his eyes resting on hers; black meeting violet. "Do you think it was wise to tell Naruto?"_

_Mito pondered that, her sharp eyes roving over the pieces that remained; hers were remarkably less than his, but she hadn't anticipated a win against him, after all, she only won against his son half the time, and he was undoubtedly better. "Perhaps not wise," she admitted, taking his rook with a swipe of her bishop, "but Naruto's got a good head on his shoulders; he can keep a secret. Besides," she sounded offhanded, "every child wants to hear that their father is the village hero." No, it was bitter, bitter towards her father, Kazekage-sama._

_Shikaku's attention waned as he looked towards the hill he was sure his own son was slumbering on. His son, his pride and joy, his successor, the one to carry on his wisdom to the next generation. Sometimes he wondered if the two were the same. Shikaku sighed; he wasn't a very good father to the boy._

_"Stop looking like that," Mito ordered, scrunching up her nose slightly. "Shikamaru-kun loves you for being you; you're a perfect father."_

_A dark eyebrow arched. "How can you be so sure?"_

_Purple eyes rolled at that question. "Look, my…what I'm saying is, as long as you don't go sealing Bijuu into pregnant women and then teach infants Kinjutsu, and then refuse to be in the same room as them for more than a few minutes, then you'd have to be a good father." Mito raked a fair hand through her once wild hair, though it had now grown out, pooling over her shoulders, hiding her face behind a blood waterfall, unrestrained by her happuri or hair tie. "All a father has to do is believe in his child, you have done that." She squeezed his larger fingers. "He is proud to have you as his father, just as I am proud to have you as my sensei."_

Mito's smile was soft, recalling that small heart-to-heart she had with her sensei. "The villagers are important, but there's someone I have to trust first before I can convince them that I'm trustworthy." Violet met gold. "I have to trust myself, trust the me that Shikaku-sensei taught, that Kaa-chan raised, and that Shikamaru-kun loved."

Not-Mito took a small step back, her eyes wide, her eyebrows raised, and her lips ajar in surprise. And then those hate-filled golden eyes shone with unshed tears as she collapsed to her knees. "How could you? After all that's been done to us…how can you forgive them?!"

"Because hate only breeds more hate," Mito said simply, walking towards the kneeling girl to wrap her arms around her, "Shikaku-sensei's taught me that. Even when he found out about my burden, a burden that's such a secret that not even my own family knows the truth, he didn't judge me at all, he takes me as I am. To him, and to Shikamaru-kun and all my friends, I'm simply Senju Mito, adoptive daughter of Senju Tsunade and the great-granddaughter to the Nidaime Hokage." She squeezed her tightly. "It's because of you that I've gotten this far, so thank you, but it's time for you to become me again, the me I've been waiting to be all along."

Not-Mito's grip tightened as she sobbed, but they soon faded all together as she evaporated before Mito's very eyes, and once Mito blinked, her vision had cleared and she turned around to raise an eyebrow at Naoru. "That's not it, is it?" she deadpanned.

"Of course not," Naoru agreed, rolling her eyes, jerking her nose upwards. "You're final test will take place on the plateau."

"Great," Mito moaned, stretching tiredly, "I knew you were going to say that."

"But," Naoru continued, "I have to tell you what you will be doing before hand, because it is a terrain in which I cannot trespass, and give you a warning: the last person, the last Jinchuuriki who was here, the holder of the Sanbi, the three-tails, did not survive."

Mito gritted her teeth together, her jaw set stubbornly as she gazed up the plateau. "I'll do it."

Naoru bent her head, sighing slightly. "I thought you'd say that. Alright, here's what you will be doing. You have the key don't you?" Mito nodded seriously; Jiraiya-oji had given it to her the last time they saw each other. "You'll be meeting Shukaku in your subconscious and undoing the seal. Once Shukaku is free of his cage, you'll grab onto his chakra with your own and pull his out. You will have to touch the Ichibi directly when you use your chakra to pull at its chakra. This part is extremely difficult, because if Shukaku pulls your chakra away, you'll be left with zero –that's what happened with the Sanbi-, or he'll try to leak his will into the chakra so you'll be consumed by hatred." Naoru stood up on her hind legs so she was more level with Mito. "Make no mistake, Mito, this could kill you…are you still willing to go through with this?"

The plateau was so high, disappearing into the lowest clouds that hung over Mount Suisha. When Mito had first come to the mountain, she had heard the stories around the plateau, how if you climbed it, you became more spiritual, more in tune with yourself, but no one ever dared to venture up. Mito clenched her fist, but still she nodded; she'd do anything to get that beast under control. So, she quietly and slowly walks up the sloping path, the only sound her ears picked up was the hammering of her heart against her chest, each heart beat creating a constant, echoing rhythm. Her nervousness increased, but her resolve did not falter, even as she sat at the top and closed her eyes, awakening in the sewer that she had –unfortunately- grown familiar of.

Before her sat a circular cage and inside lay a beast of great proportions. She had become familiar with his sandy-brown fur, with odd black markings splashed across the fur, and the needle sharp teeth, as well as the yellow iris' with the black four pointed star surrounded by four black dots. He was her beast of burden, her ever-present nightmare; Shukaku, the Ichibi.

She was undeterred by the glare as she walked towards the seal, not faltering as Shukaku growled out, **"Where is your hatred, little jailor?" **

"Oh it's gone, Shukaku," she said with a smile eerily similar to her mother's. She ripped off the sealing paper hiding the circular seal from view. Mito looped the hem of her shirt up and down through the neckline, so her tetragram seal was clearly visible.

**"What are you doing?"** Shukaku demanded, but Mito didn't answer him as her fingers lit with a soft blue fire and the key's seal wrote itself over her palm and arm. She placed her hand on the seal on her midriff and twisted, allowing for the seal on Shukaku's cage to slowly but surely open. Mito jumped back as soon as the latch swung open, swinging upwards as Shukaku flung it open. He gave a roar of freedom, as he leapt out of the cage, his tail swinging in every direction as a blur of fur.

"Tch!" Mito mentally swore at his strength, crossing her fingers into a 'T'. **"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu! (Shadow Clone Technique)!" **A good hundred clones popped up, each with their hands glowing with chakra, while Mito focused her own chakra. Mito might not have been well known for her use of Ninjutsu, but her Taijutsu and brute strength was well known.

Shukaku swatted several away, causing them to pop out of existence, but the others latched onto him, crushing their fists into his fur. But that would only occupy him for so long, so her chakra-based shadow gripped the chakra at the tip of his tail and pulled as Mito moved backwards.

She lost focus three times as Shukaku fought against her and her clones, but finally she got his tail and pulled hard. "Will_. You. Hold_. **Still**!" she yelled, swinging him so he crashed onto his back, her summoned clones moving forward to strike again. Her chakra grabbed his again and pulled hard, and she braced herself when it began to bleed red with Shukaku's will. Before long the blue had completely disappeared, leaving only red in its wake.

_Hatred…Revenge…Suffering…Pain…Loneliness…Loss...De ath..._

Mito clutched her head as a mass of thoughts entered her mind, and none of them were her own.

Shukaku gave a stuttering chuckle, still recovering from the brute force of the attacks made by Mito's clones who had dissipated by now. **"You will never be able to control my power! I am the greatest of the Nine Bijuu!"**

"_Urusai!"_ she roared, only to blink in surprise when she found herself in a different area away from the Shukaku.

"It's alright," a gentle voice hummed close to her. "You're safe here, _musume_ (daughter)."

"Daughter?" Mito twisted around suddenly to find herself face to face with a woman with whom she bore a remarkable resemblance to. Her dancing eyes were a bright violet, the exact shade of Mito's own, and her sandy-brown hair was several shades lighter than Temari's.

She smiled the soft smile that Mito was so fond of as she reached out to cradle her cheek in her hands. Her eyes warmed like the summer sun. "You've grown up beautifully, Mito-chan."

A gasp escaped her before she could silence it. She bit her trembling lip as tears leaked out of her eyes. "Kaa-sama."

Senju Karura's smiling lips brushed against the violet rhombus on her forehead. Her smile was tender as she leaned back, gazing over her daughter in full. "Give my thanks to Tsunade-sama for showing you the light in the darkness."

"You know Kaa-chan?" Mito asked surprised.

Karura wiped away a tear that had fallen down her daughter's cheek. "In a sense, we are cousins, descended from the Senju brothers, Hashirama and Tobirama." Karura took a step back, her eyes still trained on Mito. She blushed. "Ah, forgive me," she apologized, unknowingly copying a movement her daughter often did, scratching her cheek in embarrassment, "it's just so hard to imagine that fragile little baby as this confident young woman who stands before me. You remind me a great deal of my cousin, and my mother, you have a lot of her coloring." Karura's fingers twirled around a lock of Mito's bright hair. She chuckled softly. "But you have my temperament…that's good."

Her eyes glinted. "I placed a complex seal on my stomach before Izanagi-kun sealed the Shukaku inside both you and Gaara that would bind my chakra to his seal so I could help you if you ever needed it." She looked down at her hands which were starting to become transparent. "I don't have much longer, Mito-chan, but here is a message for you and your siblings."

"Hm?" Mito murmured, still memorizing her mother's face.

"Aishiteru."

Mito's tears sprung anew, her shoulders shaking as she pulled her into a warm embrace. "Gaara-chan might not want to hear this for awhile, but when he's ready, will you tell him that love can make someone great and strong, that he has the power to make his own destiny and choose his own path?"

"And what about me?" Mito's voice cracked at the end.

Karura tugged on a lock of her hair. "You are a gift, my daughter. You hold within you a rare Kekkei Genkai, but you understand above all things that this bloodline is not to be used lightly. It requires in depth training, training you have never had time for, but in time, all the sides of you will come together; the side bound to sand, the side bound to leaf, the side bound to mist. Never lose who you truly are, never forsake your ideals."

Mito wiped her tears, squaring her jaw in resolution. "I won't, Kaa-sama."

"Good," Karura smiled, "now we can deal with the Ichibi."

Mito opened her eyes and gasped as she found herself back in the sewer, threads of blue chakra holding Shukaku at bay, her mother's words echoing in her ears. And with a roar of new-found strength, she sent her chakra back through his, pulling out more and more as she went through. "Not enough," she grunted, making a hand sign. "**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique)!"**

Chakra collected into their hands starting out as small vibrating balls and then spreading out into image of a Fuuma Shuriken. **"Chakura no Shuriken (Chakra Shuriken)!"**

Poor Shukaku didn't anticipate the attack being a diversion as she drained him of the last of his chakra and resealed him in the cage while he was still recovering from the onslaught of attacks. His roar of rage was the last thing she heard as her eyes opened on top of the plateau, a wide grin splitting her face, feeling happier than she'd felt in a very long time.


	2. Long Awaited Return

**Akai Senkou: Chapter Two: Long Awaited Return**

* * *

She had a habit of gaining a lot of unwanted attention, Jiraiya had to admit as he weaved through the crowd with his goddaughter at her side. She had long since worn out her typical shinobi garb, opting for a white kimono that fell to her thighs with slits up the sides and fish nets. The long sleeves hid her arm guards, the only symbol of her being a kunoichi. She had grown out her hair enough that it could be pinned up in two buns with seals hanging from her hair decals, her long bangs pinned to the side of her face to reveal the violet rhombus at the center of her forehead. She had obviously taken her inspiration from her great-grandaunt, Uzumaki Mito, with only slight differences.

"Maa, Jiraiya-oji." Mito's voice pulled him out of his thoughts as she jutted out her lower lip at him in an adorable pout. "Why can't we go faster? I don't like to keep people waiting."

She was referring to how the Hokage had given her an unofficial assignment to assist the Sunan hospital, one she was not particularly looking forward to if her abysmal expression was anything to go by. Clearly, she still held some resentment towards the village she had once been a guardian of.

Putting on a bright smile, Jiraiya gave her an enthusiastic nod. "Sure, kid…think you can keep up?"

The grin she gave him was the smile of a dead woman. It was Uzumaki Kushina's feral grin that told him he was about to be proven wrong. "Oji-san," she all but purred, her voice low and laced with humor, "I think you will find that it is you that has to keep up with _me_."

She wasn't wrong, Jiraiya decided as she disappeared in a flash of red, racing after her at paces that would make all but Taijutsu enthusiasts gape uncomprehendingly (Back in Konoha Maito Gai and Rock Lee sneezed). At that speed, racing across the desert was no problem at all, especially since their time wasn't stalled by sandstorms that often plagued traders and shinobi leaving and entering the village. They only slowed to a normal, perceivable pace so that the guards at the gate wouldn't freak out when they saw them suddenly appear. As it was, they were freaked out enough by the sight of the Kazekage's youngest daughter. Mito couldn't really fault them for that; if she saw someone coming out of the desert that had once had the unseemly habit of slitting the throat of shinobi who looked down on her, she would have been _fucking terrified_.

"What are you being such a pansy about?!" Mito perked up slightly when she heard the sound of her abrasive elder sister as she stared down the guards, two mid-twenty year old men who looked like they were about to piss their pants once they caught sight of her.

Mito arched an eyebrow at the terrified glances that were shot to her, sweat-dropping at their antics; surely she wasn't that terrifying, was she? She sighed softly, a sheepish grin settling onto her face. "Ah, my apologies, I'm afraid I startled them a bit."

Temari hadn't changed much since she'd last seen her, but even that had been years ago, before she had been drafted into ANBU. Her sandy-blonde hair was still in its trade-mark four pigtails, and that tessen was still strapped to her back, but she'd opted for a more flattering off-the-shoulder pale lavender dress than before. Next to her, Mito felt a great deal overdressed, but she didn't let it bother her.

Temari's green eyes immediately went to Mito's violet ones. The delicately slanted eyes and shade of purple were identical to their mother's, but Mito had these two strange birthmarks that looked remarkably like scars, a slash mark on either cheek that set her a bit apart from others. She would recognize that face anywhere.

"Mito?"

Her sheepish smile widened. "You don't know any other combination of red hair and purple eyes, do you?"

Temari gave an excited yell as she flung her arms around her baby sister, ignoring the noises of warning from the two guards, squeezing her so tightly that Jiraiya vaguely wondered if she was masking a murder attempt. That thought was dissipated when she released Mito, still beaming brightly as she held the girl's cheeks in her hands. "You look like Kaa-sama," she said softly, after a long moment.

"Good or bad?" Mito asked with a smile that made her eyes twinkle, even with the position of the setting sun.

"Good, always good," the blonde told her with a grin. "You were always the pretty one."

Mito snorted in an unlady-like manner. "I think you're confusing me with yourself, Nee-chan…mind escorting us to the Kazekage's Tower?"

It was only then that Temari glanced back to the company to Mito had kept, her eyes widening comically at the sight of one of the legendary Sannin, Jiraiya. Mito brought down the heel of her sandal sharply onto his foot, forcing him to hop up and down in pain. Temari hide a snicker, but not very well. Clearly, Mito knew him quite well, if that glare was anything to go by.

"What was that for?!" The Gama Sennin complained vocally, smoothing a hand over his bruised skin.

Mito gave him a blank stare eerily reminiscent of her twin's. "That was for being an idiot, Oji-san." She turned back to Temari, her face noticeably wryer. "Sorry about him, my godfather isn't well known for his restraint…now, the Kazekage's Tower, Nee-chan?"

If Temari's eyes widened anymore, they were going to pop right out of her head, Mito had mentally decided, but the older girl visibly shook herself. "Oh, its this way."

As Mito and Jiraiya were led away with the still suspicious shinobi watching them from their posts, Mito sighed to her godfather. "Go on, I know you're going to say something."

There was a very pregnant pause, until- "That's Yoshino-chan's necklace, isn't it?" His finger was pointed towards her black choker necklace on which a silver pendant had been clipped, a silver pendant that was shaped exactly like the Nara Clan's symbol. Temari's eyes shifted to the necklace he mentioned, frowning slightly; wasn't that a clan necklace? Given to the woman who was going to marry the clan heir?

Mito's expression did not change. "It is."

Jiraiya's face lit up like fireworks at the Kyuubi Festival –the one event she had never attended at Konoha; she and Naruto would always grab some meat from Yakiniku Q and grill it over the brazier at Mito's place while everyone else was out celebrating- and he pointed offensively at her face. "You're dating that Nara brat, aren't you?!"

"That brat has a name," Mito returned, her eye twitching in irritation, aware of the interest her sister was paying towards their conversation.

He gazed at her sharply. "That brat of theirs must really be something to catch your eye."

Mito's eyes sparked dangerously, like they always did when people insulted her boyfriend. "He is," she said hotly, coming to a stop and placing a hand on her hip in a formidable stance that she had learned from both her mother and Yoshino-san, "but you would know that if you bothered to visit once in awhile."

This time Jiraiya grimaced in real pain. He wasn't good with children, no matter what his students had thought.

"And Naruto!" She added fervently, jabbing him harshly in the ribs with her finger. "You should visit him too, you know, he's very interested in Fuuinjutsu."

Temari wasn't exactly sure who this 'Naruto' was, but apparently Jiraiya knew him, judging by how he flinched and stared at her uncomprehendingly.

"He's into Fuuinjutsu?" Jiraiya asked in surprise.

Mito wondered if she should tell him that the boy knew who his parents were, but then decided maybe Jiraiya could only handle a certain amount of shock in one day. Mito nodded to his question, and had opened her mouth to explain to Temari who Naruto was when Jiraiya asked, "So, is the Nara brat any good?"

Temari felt a great deal more than a bit of irritation towards the white-haired man on her sister's behalf when Mito's face went completely white, the emotion dropping from her already porcelain skin. In the time it took Temari to blink, Jiraiya had been punched through the wall that led to the Kazekage's mission room, with Mito standing over him with a hand fisted into his green kimono shirt, pulling his head upwards from the ground enough to see her free fist that was glowing with chakra.

"If you say anything about your godson," Mito warned in a dangerous voice that reminded Temari distinctly of how she used to be (sending a shiver down her spine as well), "I will show just why I am called the Nidaime Tsunade (Second Tsunade)."

It was only then that Mito realized that she had gained an audience. That audience just so happened to be the Kazekage, her older brother, and her siblings' sensei. To say that they were startled would be an understatement; Kankurou's face had gone a pasty alabaster under his purple war paint.

Her cheeks flushed violently at the attention on her, unaware of Temari gaping at her from behind as she dropped the man into the rubble, another sheepish grin worming its way onto her face as she bowed to the leader of Suna. "Kazekage-sama, you have my humblest apologies for the mess…Oji-san will pay for it." The Kazekage was not the only who noticed the glare and the voice that rung with danger pointed towards the dazed man on the floor. Looking at her stung worse than any infected wound, and the Kazekage could hardly meet her eyes, for standing before him was the ghost of his late wife, reborn in her child. Her cheeks were no longer plump as they had been as a child, her eyes sharper and brighter, and she had gained that violet rhombus on her forehead that told everyone of her lineage.

She winked subtly to Kankurou, her lips upturning slightly as she handed over the scroll the Hokage had given her for her to, in turn, give to the Kazekage, regarding the medical program at Suna. He did not speak for a long moment while Kankurou questioned Temari nonverbally behind Mito's back about whether or not she was really who he thought she was. Temari nodded.

"Everything seems to be in order, Senju-sama," the Kazekage informed her. "And how long is it you plan to stay?"

She shrugged carelessly –a demeanor she had no doubt picked up from Shikaku-sensei. "A month, maybe more, maybe less…I'm not really sure, but I'll be out of your hair sooner or later."

Baki had never met someone who spoke to the Kazekage so casually and informally. It was a bit strange to say the least. It was only much later that he realized where he'd seen her face before; the picture of Sabaku no Karura on the Kazekage's desk.

Not an hour later, Temari and Kankurou found themselves in front of the hotel room that was being rented out to their bright-haired sister.

"You knock."

"You're oldest! You do it!"

The door opened suddenly in front of the pair of bickering siblings, and they found themselves staring to the very girl they had come to see. Her sharp eyes lifted to meet Kankurou's; she smirked. "You didn't need to stand out there for five minutes; I could hear you the second you got here-"

The rest of whatever Mito had been going to say was silenced by the hug Kankurou bestowed upon her. Her eyes softened to warm plum glow as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, noting how much taller he was compared to her.

"It's so good to see you!" she said, after she'd been released from the hug he'd given her (a much gentler one than Temari's; his elder sister had shot him a glare behind Mito's back). "You've changed a lot, but I like the war paint."

Kankurou felt a tiny bit pleased that she had acknowledged that it was paint and not make-up, as Temari so adamantly claimed it was. "You look…great," he told his baby sister honestly, "really great, Mito."

A pleased flush lit Mito's cheeks at the compliment. "Thanks, but it's a work in progress." He didn't have to guess to know that she was referencing her temper which had been particularly volatile as a child, though it seemed to have simmered down since her sudden disappearance from Suna. He had always questioned whether or not she was truly dead, but he had never actually believed that it was possible she survived until Temari came back from border patrol with Baki telling him she'd seen her. Not two days later after that they'd learned that had been hospitalized with serious injuries she'd gained from an unwarranted attack by Gaara.

Yet here she was, healthy and hearty with that smile that told a story. Kankurou wanted to protect that smile, protect that innocent face, and he swore he would, if it was the last thing he did.

* * *

"Very impressive."

Ryoukan lifted his gaze from the medicine he was brewing to direct his attention to the front of the greenhouse where two figures now stood. He recognized the elder as Temari-sama, but he had never seen the second one before, a girl with long hair as crimson as Gaara-sama's, and eyes the same shade as the late Kazehime, but she had a much calmer, more friendly presence, and the violet diamond on her forehead left only one person she could be. A kunoichi that was nearly as gifted as her mother in Medical Ninjutsu, Senju Mito.

"Senju-sama!" Ryoukan bowed lowly. "It is an honor to be in the presence of such a great Medic-nin."

Heat flooded Mito's cheeks and she scratched one of them as Temari snickered beside her. "I'm not that great," she disagreed, "Kaa-chan's way better than me in Medical Ninjutsu, and just call me Mito."

"Mito-sama," he said, not noticing the chagrined look that Mito tossed her sister's way, "have you come to assist the medical program?"

"Just a little bit," Mito said, still gazing around the greenhouse in awe. "I'm surprised how much medicinal herbs you have here. It speaks volumes for your diligence." Her fingers brushed over the delicate leaves of the Mandra Plant.

"Arigatou, Mito-sama," he said, pleased at the compliment.

"Need any extra hands?" she asked nodding to the mixture before him, inhaling slightly. "For chakra replenishment, right?"

He blinked in surprise. "You can tell that by smell alone?"

Mito smiled slightly. "You're talking to someone who learned about herbs from Tsunade, as well as someone who was blind for about two years; heightened smell is a bit of a given." Ryoukan flushed slightly despite it not being a slight to his observational skills.

"I'll just leave you two, then," Temari said awkwardly, stepping carefully out of the greenhouse to leave the two medics in private.

"Is something wrong?" she asked after an amount of time passed, not diverting her attention from crushing the Energy Ginseng.

Ryoukan ducked his head in embarrassment. "My apologies, Mito-sama, but I couldn't help but notice you were wearing a clan symbol that is not your own." He was, of course, referring to the Nara necklace Shikamaru had given her before she left, wrapped tightly around her throat, as her neck adorned with a rare kesshouseki that had been given to her great-grandmother, Suiren, the wife of Tobirama, by Senju Hashirama and Mito. Supposedly, it had the power to suppress the power of a Bijuu, but since Mito had pulled Shukaku's chakra out, she had had no need for such a skill, only wearing it out of habit.

Her fingers curled around the cold metal circle, a soft smile warming across her face. "Yes, it is the symbol of the Nara Clan in Konoha. The heir gave it to me before I left." She raised her eyes to look at the man opposite her, her lips curling into an amused grin at his slightly widened eyes; people always had a habit of thinking the worst. "No, we're not engaged." She handed him the mixture. "Here you are. Tell me, Ryoukan-san, do you have any seriously injured shinobi that I should be directing my attention to."

"Oh!" Ryoukan frowned thoughtfully, tapping his chin with his finger. "Well, a few shinobi ran into Uchiha Itachi a few weeks ago," he noticed how she winced, probably foreseeing how well that had ended, "and we haven't found a way to pull them out of the Genjutsu…"

"Something that should be remedied immediately," she said cutting him off rather suddenly. "Would you mind me the way, Ryoukan-san?"

"At once, Mito-sama."

So, Mito could be found minutes later hosting an impromptu lesson on reviving Genjutsu victims. The first to attempt it was a young woman named Kaede. Kaede was nervous, and it showed in how her green chakra wavered and the man beneath her hand didn't even stir since she'd placed her palm on his forehead. Senju Mito stood on the opposite side, her brow furrowed, watching the glow of her chakra, her sharp eyes taking in every detail, with her fingers wound around that clan symbol that she wore on her ear. Finally she sighed and signaled for Kaede to cease, giving all the medic-nins her full attention.

"Let us use this analogy," she said to the small group before her that listened very intently even though she was remarkably young, "when a Genjutsu is used on a person, it is as if clouds are placed over the person's eyes. What you are trying to do is smooth them away, to clear your patient's senses. The first thing you should know, is that Genjutsu disrupts to flow of chakra to the brain, knowing this, you cannot simply stop the flow of chakra, or the patient will be pronounced brain dead." She eyed them all. "Are you still with me?" At their nods, she continued, noticing that some were actually writing down what she was saying for future reference. "Now, being too gentle will not illicit a response, but doing too hard will cause them pain and might even damage the chakra network. How many of you have seen waves, like ocean waves?" Thankfully, all the medic-nins raised their hands. "Great! Your chakra should flow just like that, like you're slowly pulling the clouds away from their eyes; firm and constant." After several attempts, they succeeded and were soon sent about assisting the newly awakened shinobi.

No one noticed as Mito left, her hands reaching up to free her bright hair from its clipped bindings, letting the loose, thick waves spill out from the pins, her neck slightly cramped from just how tight her hair had been pulled back. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end as her head twisted upwards catching the eyes of her twin brother. His jade eyes narrowed slightly, but then he vanished in a swirl of sand. Mito sighed softly, closing her eyes briefly, her mood becoming morose at the sight of her insane younger brother…what she wouldn't give for some sake right now…

"You look more like your mother than I anticipated."

Mito jumped, turning swiftly on her heel at the voice to find herself face-to-face with the Yondaime Kazekage. He looked different, more life-like, when he wasn't wearing his Kazekage garb. It was hard to tell which of his sons looked more like him, with that auburn hair of his, though Gaara and Mito's red hair had clearly come from the Senju side of the family (as Tobirama had proved he had similar taste in women to his brother, marrying a red head). Mito decided it had to be Kankurou –why else would he go through the trouble of painting his face to cover up the likeness if there was none?

"Sorry?" she said once her tongue had started working again. "What do you mean by that?" She wasn't clueless, of course, the main reason she had been given to Hyuuga Kouga to care for was because her father couldn't stand even looking at her because she so greatly resembled his late wife. She was practically a red-haired double. She was immediately suspicious, because just a few days previously he hadn't shown any desire to make small talk, and now he was actively seeking her out?

His dark eyes held none of the warmth that Shikaku's often had before he'd ruffle her hair, laughing as she attempted to straighten the mess. Shikaku had the eyes of a father, the Kazekage did not.

"Your mother, Karura," he said, "you're very much like her."

Her violet eyes widened slightly. Coming from him, it was almost a compliment. But his compliments were toys with sharp edges; it wasn't until you'd played with them a while that you realized how painful they were.

"Excuse me," she said stiffly, making an effort to control her temper (she mentally congratulated herself on how well she was doing), "but I have somewhere to be." When he looked like he wanted to say something, she turned, strolling past him, her hair flowing in the wind like a crimson ribbon as she disappeared into the wind and sand.

Once she had vanished from his view, he heaved a heavy sigh, raking a hand through her loose hair, grabbing a clump and lifting it to her eyes. Kaa-chan had told her how ironic it was that she looked more like Tsunade's obaa-san than Mito's own sousobo (great-grandmother), to whom Mito was only related to by marriage, taking after her namesake.

"A-Ano," a small voice stuttered, causing Mito's hand to drop as she turned to face a young girl. She'd been keeping an eye on the Senju heir for a few days. Mito would've suspected foul play, if not for the book on Medical Ninjutsu she had often seen in her hands. She was small, smaller than Mito, and probably younger too, with short, spiky brown hair and almond shaped obsidian eyes. Her type of dress was that of someone who was clearly not enlisted in the regular forces, judging by the yellow scarf around her neck, the blue shirt hanging off her shoulder, black skirt, and thigh length stockings. She was also very nervous, reminding Mito distinctly of Hinata. "Senju-sama?"

"Just Mito," she corrected automatically, "can I help you?"

The girl jumped a bit at being spoken to so directly. She bit her lip and leaned over, bowing lowly. "Please teach me!"

Mito stared at her dumbfounded. "Teach you?" she asked blankly. "Medical Ninjutsu, you mean?"

The girl lifted her head and nodded fervently, her eyes bright with yearning. "Please!"

For a moment Mito didn't speak, before she finally glanced over her. "What's your name?"

"Matsuri, Mito-sama!"

"Matsuri," she began again, "very few shinobi ever become medic-nins, even less are singularly gifted in the art. I, myself, am becoming more well-known for my Ninjutsu and Taijutsu, as well as my Medical Ninjutsu. A medic-nin has to have exceptional chakra control, do you have such a gift?"

"Ano, I don't know," Matsuri admitted shyly.

"Hold out your hands, palm down."

Matsuri did as instructed, watching as the slightly older girl's hands glowed green with chakra as she placed them on her own. The chakra felt warm and soothing.

Mito frowned, thinking of the prophecy the Great Lord Elder (like all summoning animals had) had given her years ago. _"You will have four great apprentices, ones skilled in the art of healing, and with you, they will become renowned for their skills." _Her chakra was as fine-tuned as Ino's, though not as much as Hinata's when she first started out. Two apprentices had already been taught, though their training was not yet done, now only two spots remained.

"Your chakra control is impressive for one your age," she said finally, pulling her hands away and surveying her face, "but know this," she said, her voice dropping, the tone so serious that Matsuri gulped, "I only train those who I believe have true potential. I have only had two apprentices to date, and both are due to inherit Clan Leadership in a decade or so when their father's step down, and I fully anticipate them to become Chuunin within a year of becoming Genin," Hinata would become heiress, if she played her cards right. "If you were to train under me that would mean leaving this village when I do and going wherever I go, and that includes returning to Konoha for the next few months to a year."

"I know," Matsuri said tiredly. There was nothing to keep her here; her parents were dead. "But when I finish training, I can come back, right?" It was her dream to be a kunoichi of Suna.

Mito smiled. "You can. If, and only if, I take you on."

Matsuri nodded again.

Mito couldn't help it; she laughed. It was a light, airy laugh. "Ah, too late," she grumbled to herself. "I already like her."

Matsuri positively beamed, following Mito's example as she sat down into the coarse grains of sand.

"I guess we should start with introductions," Mito began, "my name is Senju Mito, my favorite things to do are train, experiment, and watch the clouds with my boyfriend, I like to use nature-based Ninjutsu, and my dream is to be the greatest medic-nin since Kaa-chan. Your turn."

"Oh! Um…" An embarrassed flush lit her cheeks. "My name is Matsuri…my favorite things to do are read about Medical Ninjutsu and Poisons, and my dream is to be the greatest Poison-maker and medic-nin in Suna."

"Steep goal," Mito admitted with a grin, "I hope you intend to work hard for it."

"H-Hai!"

"Good, now tell me the four rules of medic-nins."

Matsuri thought hard for a moment, trying to recall the four clauses that medic-nins lived by. "No medic-nin shall ever stop medical treatment until the lives of their party members have come to an end…no medic-nin shall ever stand on the front lines…no medic-nin shall ever die until they are the last of their platoon…and only those medic-nins who have mastered the Strength of a Hundred Technique of the Ninja Art Creation Rebirth are permitted to discard the above-mentioned laws."

"That is correct," Mito agreed. "However, I disagree."

Matsuri blinked in surprise. It wasn't every day that you heard a daughter not agreeing with her mother, especially when her mother was the Slug Princess, Tsunade. "Why?" she questioned.

The red-head rolled her shoulders. "Honestly? Because some medic-nins aren't made to be coddled and protected when they can be out kicking ass…that's one of the reasons why I am listed as medic-nin as my primary and combat-nin as a secondary in the shinobi corps back in Konoha." She winked. "I have an explosive personality, apparently."

Matsuri wasn't sure what the safe response to that was, so she opted for silence as Mito continued to explain some different aspects of Medical Ninjutsu.

* * *

"I'm requesting permission to take Matsuri a little ways out into the desert. I'd prefer to teach her evasion in an area where I won't destroy any buildings."

The Kazekage could barely meet her eyes, as they burned with the sort of determination that was ever present in his Karura's. "If I were to allow you such a thing, you would have to be monitored by a shinobi of my choosing-"

"That's fine, Kazekage-sama," Mito said, waving her hand airily, "its not like I'm going to be pumping her for village secrets."

"If that's so, then we shall volunteer."

Father and daughter stared, for the two who now stood in the doorway were a rather famous pair of retired councilors that Mito was sure Kouga-san had mentioned several times. Ebizou-sama and his sister, Chiyo-sama, the master of puppets (Kankurou had begged her to teach him when he was younger, but she had just laughed at him) and of poison, the grandmother of her Shishou.

Chiyo smirked slightly at the red-head. "After all, who better to observe that slug-girl Tsunade's daughter, than the grandmother of her teacher."

Mito's eyes betrayed her surprise; very few were privy to that knowledge.

Answering Mito's unasked question, Chiyo pointed to the purple ring on her thumb with the kanji for jewel (gyoku). "That is the ring my grandson bears as a member of the Akatsuki." Mito could resist fingering the ring as she said that, somehow finding herself in the middle of the desert with Matsuri and two old coots not much later.

"Now, Matsuri," Mito began, running a hand through her hair, doing her best to ignore the bystanders, "do you know what the role of the medic-nin is?"

"To provide medical support to their teammates?" Matsuri hazarded a guess.

Mito nodded. "That is correct. But a medic-nin's combat skills are secondary to their Ninjutsu prowess, do you know why?"

The brunette furrowed her brow, deep in thought, before finally shaking her head in defeat.

"A medic-nin must have superior abilities in evasion, so as not to become injured and thus become a liability to their squad," Mito responded calmly.

"You'll find a great deal of medic-nins are like this," Mito explained to Matsuri, "but there are some like me and my apprentices who can split their focus."

"Split their focus?" Matsuri repeated in confusion.

Mito sighed, seeing that she had lost her, motioning for both to sit down on the dune with her. "We'll be getting more into chakra nature manipulation in the next few months," she said, "but this'll be easier to understand if I explain it properly… let me use Hinata and Ino as examples. Ino splits her time between learning her family's Hiden techniques with her Medical Ninjutsu training, while Hinata splits her time between learning her family's Taijutsu style, Juuken, and Medical Ninjutsu. Ino is farther along than Hinata due to the duties placed on Hinata."

"What about you, Shishou?" Matsuri asked inquisitively, drinking in all the information like a sponge.

"In the past few years my focus has been on chakra nature techniques. Water and fire are my primary."

Chiyo's eyebrows rose an inch. She must have put a lot of time and effort to have techniques in two of the five elemental releases; most Jounin didn't even bother learning elemental-style jutsu. That was a kind of diligence and determination she could admire.

"Back to you, Matsuri," Mito said, redirecting the attention placed on her, "I expect you to be more than just any other medic-nin. I expect you to be one of the best, and I will accept no less than the best from you, understand?" It was a lot of pressure to put on the girl, but if Jiraiya-oji was right, they only had about a year or so to prepare.

"Y-yes!" Matsuri agreed, albeit nervously.

Mito smirked in a dangerous way that had always sent a shiver down the spines of her friends. "Good. The first thing you must learn, is evasion, as I explained before. First, I'm going to attack you without my Taijutsu, with you can manage to evade those, you will 'graduate' to dodging my enhanced attacks. This training is the most serious you will ever experience, are you ready?"

"Yes, Shishou!"

Mito had her stand, feet separated from each other as if fighting in a one-on-one duel. "Begin!" Mito watched, carefully taking in how Matsuri moved, it reminded her a bit of Hinata and Ino before they'd focused a great deal on their Taijutsu. Hinata's main problem with her Juuken was that she hadn't put forth enough effort or time to work with the style, thus leading her to be considered weak by the clan, while Ino hadn't really done much training outside of the academy. Matsuri had a very slight fear of weapons –probably because of how her parents were killed- and that was probably why she was dodging Mito's strikes with her senbon so well.

"That's enough!" Mito called, calling a stop to their match. Then, Mito turned on Matsuri, cracking her knuckles in a menacing fashion. "Alright Matsuri, the only way this is going to work is if I come at you full force. There are only two rules. One: You will not close your eyes, and two: you will not be hit. Ready?"

Her apprentice's legs tensed. "Yes, Shishou!"

Mito smirked. The subsequent beating was something Matsuri would recall with shivers, even after years had passed and she was nearly on equal grounds with her former teacher, because you never quite forget your first experience of hell.


	3. Changes

**Disclaimer: Masashi Kishimoto owns Naruto**

**Akai Senkou: Chapter Three: Changes**

* * *

The room was empty, but Mito had expected it to be. It was an apartment that had been uninhabited for at least six years, now. It was mostly bare, void of most material or personal possessions. She steeled her nerves, for her heart was beating rather rapidly against her chest, and took one very small step inside. The scent was stale and the accumulation of dust made her nose twitch. The first thing her attention was drawn to was the ancient wooden carving of the Yin and Yang symbol, the heirloom of the Head family of the Hyuuga Clan. The one that the Hyuuga Clan claimed to have lost.

She lifted it from the dresser it sat upon, her fingers gentle on the rough wooden surface, cradling in her hands as if it was the most delicate thing in the world. She remembered how small her hands had been when she'd last held it, the night before she'd left. Kouga-san had been ill and she'd stayed by his side all day, her only comfort being the feel of his aged, knotted hands on hers. She remembered a world of darkness when he had been her guiding hand…it seemed like only yesterday when he had her out in a training field with him, stumbling through the katas of the Juuken. But that time had long since passed and Mito was no longer the blind, anger-driven child she had been before.

She blinked with a small degree of surprise when she found herself kneeling beside the bed as if she was seeking some kind of solace from the emptiness her caretaker had left behind, but there was nothing, nothing that remained of her once great teacher.

For the first time in what felt like a very long time, Mito wept for the events of the past. She climbed into the bed and curled up into a ball, willing away her sorrows, feeling very much as though she was five again and she had climbed into bed with Kouga-san after a horrible nightmare. But he was gone and all that remained were his menial possessions and they gave her no solace from her sadness and pain.

_The sand burned her feet, still hot from the heat of the day, even as it had long since passed into night. Her small fingers clutched her profusely bleeding shoulder as she stumbled forward into the desert, her eyes half closed with exhaustion before her knees finally gave out and she fell face first into the sand. Her awareness faded, even as she heard his velvety soft voice. It was sickly sweet, but dangerous all the same, like poison._

"_Well, well, what do we have here?"_

Her eyes shot open.

It must have been hours later when she finally moved once more, and her whole body felt as though it was weighed down with lead. She pulled herself into an upright position, her eyes still blank, as if she wasn't exactly aware of what was going on. She rubbed them until the skin around her eyes became raw, pulling on her shoes and shoving her hands deep into her pockets. Her back straightened into that automatic casual stance that she had gained after so many years with the Nara Clan, not quite like the posture her boyfriend had adopted –a lazy slouch- but more…her.

She slid the door open quietly, looking down and blinking in surprise at the figure that lay there. Matsuri had followed her it seemed, and had fallen asleep waiting for her to leave the room. A soft smile brushed her lips, one that was rarely seen out of the company of one Nara Shikamaru. She knelt down beside the girl, locking the brunette's arms around her neck from behind and lifting her legs so she could move her apprentice with ease.

A slow sigh escaped her lips as she trudged down the empty apartment stairs to walk through the silent streets. Ever since that fateful night, a silent consensus had been reached that no one would be out after hours so as not to irritate Gaara. Her plum-colored gaze shifted upwards to where she could see Gaara's faint outline against the pallor of the moon. She sighed again, internally blaming herself for how badly he'd turned out, and he'd been such a sweet kid, she thought morosely, trudging through the streets with a silence that only one who had been in ANBU could have.

* * *

"I'm sorry."

The words were spoken so bluntly Kankurou thought he must have misheard her, but she had said them, that was for sure, if the morose expression on her face was anything to go by.

"Sorry 'bout what, Mito?" he asked, replacing his tools on the desk to give her his full attention, even though her focus was on the puppets that hung from the ceiling. She seemed as utterly fascinated by the **Kugutsu no Jutsu (Puppet Technique)** as she had been before her disappearance. He remembered when she used to follow him around trying to use the chakra strings that he did, only succeeding at a basic level. She hadn't really mentioned anything about it, but Kankurou had found some research she had haphazardly scrawled down into an open scroll in her hotel room using the idea of chakra threads as a way for medic-nins to remove their injured comrades from harm. It was a curious endeavor, but it was little more than speculation as she had never had the opportunity to test it out.

Her fingers traced the red scorpion that had been painted onto every puppet Akasuna no Sasori had made…he was always talented in that aspect of his life. "I haven't been around that much…I've just…had a lot to do," she finished lamely, feeling incredibly guilty. The hospital work and her training with Matsuri had taken up a great deal of her time, so she barely saw her siblings who were often called away on missions, only seeing them for the occasional dinner out. She felt ashamed that she hadn't reconnected more with her siblings, but Mito was very busy.

"We get it," Kankurou assured her, though it had been annoying that the amount of work she had to do prevented her from hanging out with them more; he suspected his father was behind the excessive workload. "Medic-nins are really busy."

"That's putting it mildly," Mito muttered under her breath, almost missing his next words which caught her completely off guard.

"Why don't you just stay?"

She whirled around to look him in the face, an expression of shock on her face at his question before it fell to chagrin. She didn't even notice Temari where she had come to inform Kankurou of a new mission, standing in the doorway, curious of the answer.

Mtio's purple eyes grew distant, her fingers curling into a shaking fist before unfurling just as fast. "I was on an A-rank mission in Kusa," she said after a very long moment, tapping her finger against her side. "It was a botched mission from the start because, for one, I was alone, and two I was assigned to eliminate an S-rank Iwa nin who was hiding in Kusa." She absentmindedly brushed her hand against the misshapen dark pink oval scar under her collarbone. She sighed, raking a hand through her hair, wrinkling her nose as she turned away from her brother to lean her elbows onto the window, gazing onto into the sandy surf. "I was outclassed and outmatched in every way, and I got really mad." She ducked her head shamefully. "I shouldn't have lost my temper, but I overestimated my control…and then I used red chakra."

Kankurou made a strangled sound in the back of his throat, shifting his chair slightly. Red chakra was the type of chakra a Jinchuuriki oozed when they lost whatever amount of control they had. Kankurou had only seen Gaara use it one, and it had been terrifying.

"When I got back to the village, my…screw-up had been revealed to the entire village and I was on the same level as Naruto." This thought didn't seem to annoy her too badly, Temari noted.

"What does that have to do with staying here or there?" Kankurou asked.

"Because," she heaved a heavy sigh, "it's the place Tobirama-ojii and Hashirama-ojii made their home." She gave the pair a sheepish smile. "My soul has found a place in the leaves, and my heart, the shadow."

Temari wasn't the only one who frowned at that comment, not quite understanding what that poetic phrase, and somewhere in Konoha a spiky-haired boy sneezed rather violently, startling his father.

* * *

After she had completed her exercises Matsuri was hesitant to interrupt her Shishou, even if she had grown used to the red-haired kunoichi's personality. One reason why was because she was twirling one of her tri-pronged kunai in her hands in a very elaborate way that one might compare it to a dance or an art form. Another was that she had an intense look of concentration that told her whatever she was thinking about was very important, at least to her. She only began to move forward when Mito had opened her eyes and had caught the kunai, though she still looked deep in thought.

"Matsuri," she called out, enticing the brunette to speed up until she came next to the girl. After Mito had fought and won against her siblings using only her prowess in Taijutsu she had earned Matsuri's permanent respect, because Kankurou-sama and Temari-sama were two of the most gifted shinobi in Suna. "Matsuri, I'm going to start teaching you Tanuki Style."

"Tanuki Style?" she asked in confusion. "Is that like Juuken or Goken?" Mito had caught her the basics of Juuken, a style that she herself had learned from a man that had died some years ago, Hyuuga Kouga. Matsuri didn't know much about him other than he had been Mito's primary caregiver when she had resided in Suna.

"It's a combination," she admitted. "It deals with the fluidity of the movement of Juuken, but also with the external attacks of Goken…take up stance one."

Matsuri did as was requested.

"Now perform the movement to fall into stance two."

She swung her right leg forward, leaning her weight onto the leg as she readied herself to lean forward when Mito's hand flew out in front of her face to stall her movement.

"This time what you are going to do is throw your weight onto your right leg and instead of having your palm open, its going to be in a fist…eventually it will look like this." Mito demonstrated the two stances in the style, showing how the movement flowed properly. Matsuri had only seen it performed twice, when she had fought against her siblings –and subsequently outclassed them-, and it was quite memorable; it held the same fluidity as the Hyuuga style, Juuken, but was also steadfast and fortified like the Goken, it seemed to embody the two elements water and earth.

"Shishou," Matsuri began, calling Mito 'master' as she had done ever since the red-haired girl had taken her on as an apprentice, "how long did it take you to perfect this style?"

"About as long as the Yondaime Hokage took to create the Rasengan," Mito answered with practiced ease, waving her hand carelessly through the air. At Matsuri's clueless expression, Mito sighed and elaborated. "Three years."

Her apprentice's eyes widened comically as she goggled at the medic-nin in disbelief at the sheer amount of time that she put into developing the Taijutsu style.

"Incorporating Goken into Juuken took a great deal more effort than I anticipated," Mito admitted as an afterthought, almost to herself. The clouds parted from her eyes in an instant. "Oh, shit!" she swore. "We're late for lunch with Temari and Kankurou!"

Matsuri couldn't help but feel slightly amused that her sensei for all her skills was as forgetful as anyone she'd ever met.

…

"Why do you wear that? Isn't it too big for you?"

Kankurou and Temari had decided to treat Mito and her new apprentice Matsuri to lunch on the break of her second to last day. She'd been acting quiet a lot, but now they realized it was simply because she had nothing to say, and that she did a lot of thinking. When they questioned her about it, she laughed it off, claiming the Naras rubbed off on her.

Kankurou's question had caught Mito by surprise, and she looked down at herself, viewing her training wear. Technically speaking, the short dress she was wearing was actually a shirt, a turtleneck, but it had been altered for her by Yoshino-san. It was black, baggy, loose, and a bit threadbare. She had bunched up the sleeves around her elbows, and the hem barely fell to her mid-thigh, pulling upwards slightly from being stretched so much. It was simple, having no other pattern but the wave-like Nara symbol sewn into the back, between her shoulder blades. Suiren's amulet lay below the neckline, the red gem shining in the sunlight, and beneath the hem she wore tight mesh shorts.

Mito arched an eyebrow. "Is there something wrong with my outfit?"

"Well, no…" Kankurou admitted. Maybe he was uncomfortable with the amount of leg she was showing. Hypocrite.

She rolled her eyes to her companion; Matsuri giggled. "Then there is no problem."

Temari smirked at her brother, spooning kenchin soup into her mouth. "You just got played."

Kankurou grumbled in annoyance. There was a moment of silence while they all ate their food, only to be broken by Mito, speaking bluntly. "Gaara came to see me last night."

The effect was instantaneous. Matsuri squeaked, Kankurou choked on his hamburger steak, and Temari slopped half her soup into the sand.

Mito continued as if none of these reactions had occurred. "He did not speak a word to me, but the change is clear for me to see." Her voice had become slightly bitter. "I see Yashamaru did a number on him." Mito's disappearance had been worked out between her, Kouga-san, and Yashamaru, in which Yashamaru had anticipated his death, thus giving Mito the freedom she had always desired. "We stayed up and watched the full moon and he gave me this." She slid a small ring off her finger, and all could see it was made completely of sand. "But I'm not stupid, I can sense the receptor chakra he laced the sand with."

"So you're not going to wear it?" Temari guessed.

"Of course I'm going to wear it," she disagreed vehemently. "Don't be ridiculous!"

Kankurou wrinkled his brow, before shaking his head and sighing. "I'll never understand girls…"

"So," Temari continued after that conversation had been concluded, "tell us about your boyfriend." She smothered her giggles at the glare Kankurou was now sporting. "Like, how did you meet?"

"Well he's a great shogi partner," she said with a grudging laugh, "that's actually how we first met, over shogi. Shikaku-sensei –though he wasn't my sensei at the time-, his father, had brought me to Konoha's Hospital because of some minor injuries I'd received on the way to the village. His father had encouraged him to keep an eye on me, and so, when I woke up he taught me how to play shogi."

_Mito's dull purple eyes gazed directly ahead, unseeing, as Shikamaru's fingers gently guided her own, his hand placed over hers. "Alright," the eight year old said in a drawling voice similar to his father's, "there are two lances, one for each corner," he moved her hands so that her fingers could brush against the kanji, even though she couldn't read it –it was too blurry-, "then there are the two knights, the silver generals, the gold generals, and the king," he said moving her hand gradually over the board. Then he moved to the second line, the second place of each side, he tapped her left hand, "this is for the bishop," he tapped her right hand, "and this is for the rook, and the whole third row is for pawns-"_

"Shogi?" Kankurou asked in surprise. "I didn't know you liked shogi. You never had the patience for it before."

Mito rolled her eyes at her older brother. "Nii-san, I didn't have much patience for a lot of things back then. But continuing on… He kept coming back, day after day to play shogi, and, once I could walk around without getting yelled at, cloud-gazing. I got the feeling that his dad beat him a lot in shogi, but I never could, and I didn't mind a good game when there was nothing to do. Smart and lazy was a combination I'd never seen before," she mused aloud, "it was interesting, to say the least…well, I guess that was to be expected of the son of the Jounin Commander."

Temari's jaw unhinged. "You were trained by the Head Ninja?"

Mito winced slightly, recalling the story of the rift between the Main and Branch families of the Hyuuga Clan, of how Hinata's father had the killed the Head Ninja of Kumogakure and his brother had had to pay for it. "Not quite. Konoha has no Head Ninja, only a Jounin Commander, a Head Ninja is a rank that's separate from Jounin. The Jounin Commander is one of the most important shinobi of the village, they're in charge of all the Jounin and represent them as a member of the council," Mito explained, tilting her head to the side. "I'd believe, without a doubt, that my sensei is the smartest person in the Land of Fire."

She smiled slightly recalling a scene a few days after she and her sensei's son had met, back when she had still been rendered blind.

"_Are you seriously partially blind?"_

_Mito opened one closed eye to gaze at her companion, or his general direction, her lips twitching slightly. "Is that so surprising?"_

"_Hai," he said honestly._

_A laugh erupted from her lips where she was laying in the shade of an oak tree just outside the Konoha General Hospital. She'd only been in Konoha about a week, and her wounds had healed days ago, but they still insisted on keeping her, using her bruised limbs and blindness as an excuse. Mito thought it was for a sort of background check before admitting her into the ranks, but that was before the doctors found out she could utilize Iryou Ninjutsu, and then she was randomly suggested to work on patients. Without pay. She crossed her arms behind her head, arching her back into the grass as she stretched. "I think I'm beginning to like you, Shikamaru-kun," she decided, rolling over slightly to look at his fuzzy appearance._

"_Is that a bad thing?" Shikamaru countered easily with no hint of being embarrassed. He was lying beside her, only on his stomach, pulling up grass with his fingers._

"_That would depend," Mito mumbled, "on a number of factors…but yes, I'm a bit blind."_

"_Only a bit?" He asked, his tone humorous._

_Mito smirked, slumping back into her stretch of grass. "It'll be a few months before I can see perfectly well, if that's what you're asking."_

_Shikamaru turned slightly towards her. "And you don't mind?" He asked, openly curious._

_A frown formed on Mito's lips. "I did at first, but being blind has really opened my eyes. Shinobi are a bit overly dependent on their eyes, if you get my meaning." She laughed suddenly, giving him a grin. "Honestly, I think it made me a better shinobi."_

_An amused half-smile was all she received from her friend. "You're too easy-going to be a kunoichi."_

"_Hm?" She asked in confusion. "Not too 'mendoukuse' for you then?"_

"_You're still troublesome, woman."_

_She laughed again, her smile lighting up her face. He didn't see her do that a lot. "Trust me. This," She gestured at herself, "is a work in progress. If you'd met me –what- two years ago, the result of this conversation would be quite different."_

"_Bloody, you mean?" Shikamaru suggested, his lazy eyes watching her._

"_Quite," she said dryly. "Oh, I've come so far!"_

"_Hey, Shikamaru!"_

_Shikamaru twisted slightly in the direction his name was being called from to see Akimichi Chouji and Yamanaka Ino heading his way._

"_Friends of yours?" Mito guessed, her eyebrows raising slightly over her closed eyelids._

"_One of them," Shikamaru admitted as he rolled over and sat up, yawning widely, "the other one's just…"_

"_Troublesome?" she guessed with a smirk as the pair approached. It was only then that he noticed Chouji was cradling his wrist in his hand._

"_Ne? Chouji, what happened?" Shikamaru asked, concern leaking into his voice for his old friend._

"_A bunch a' idiots jumped him 'cause he's an Akimichi," Ino huffed angrily, but Shikamaru wasn't sure if it was towards the bullies or having to walk Chouji to the hospital._

"_So, why aren't you going in?" he asked in confusion now._

_Ino's pale skin lightened slightly. "You mean you haven't heard? There's a rumor going around town about a red-haired demon that stalks patients that enter the hospital!"_

_Mito sat up so suddenly it was like she was on recoil, her blind eyes twitching in irritation. "On the other hand, maybe a little spilled blood would be good for this quaint little village…"_

_Shikamaru's hand lashed out to grip her wrist, forcing her to remain sitting as he sighed a 'mendoukuse'. "Calm down, Firecracker."_

_A healthy flush rose in her cheeks. "Baka Shikamaru-kun!"_

"_Ittai!" _

_Mito had planted her fist on the top of Shikamaru's head and was now with her arms crossed gazing firmly in the opposite direction, anywhere but at him, while Shikamaru rubbed the bump on his head._

"_So you're the reason Shikamaru's been disappearing after class ends," Chouji guessed, his voice ringing slightly with awe._

"_Ano, hai," Mito agreed, running a hand through her vibrant locks, her previous embarrassment forgotten, allowing the pair to get a good look at her. Her crimson hair had a short and spiky quality, falling just above her shoulders in a mismatched sort of way, with her side bangs only slightly longer, falling into her dulled jade eyes which were surrounded by faint dark lines._

"_Yikes," Ino winced, "when was the last time you got some sleep?"_

_Mito blinked, her eyes narrowing as her brow furrowed in confusion._

_Shikamaru muttered something that sounded an awful like 'troublesome woman' under his breath. "Ino, her eyes look like that naturally."_

"_Oh," she said lamely. "Gomen."_

_Mito shrugged. "Occupational hazard." But she didn't elaborate on what she meant. "Want me to take a look at your injury?"_

"_Ano…" Chouji looked embarrassed, his eyes shifting towards the hospital._

"_Don't worry," Mito said with a careless wave of her hand, "I only threatened those patients because they were clearly healthy and wasting precious resources just so they could flirt with some nurses. I'm a medic-nin."_

"_Oh…"_

_Chouji couldn't really do anything to stop her as she gently took his bruised hand in hers, a beautiful green chakra enveloping her hands._

"_Sugio (Amazing)!" Ino breathed as she watched Mito's work on Chouji's hand, the purpling bruise slowly lighten with color. "I've never seen chakra like that before!"_

"_Green is the color of healing jutsu," Mito explained with an easy grin._

"_There," Mito said, her chakra fading as she removed her hands from Chouji's, "that should do it. Your wrist will be a little stiff, but that should pass in a matter of hours."_

_Chouji stuttered a thank you, but Mito waved it off. "Don't mention it, and don't let those boys get to you, not everyone is meant to be thin, besides, once you start intense training it'll turn to muscle."_

_Chouji frowned slightly. "How can you be sure?"_

"_Shikamaru says you're Chouji from the Akimichi Clan, right?" She asked, jabbing her thumb in the direction of said lazy-ass. "And the techniques Akimichis use a large amount of chakra, so you'll need to eat a lot to replenish your chakra reserves."_

"_You never told us your name," Ino pointed out after that little chakra lesson._

_An inquisitive look was thrown her way. "You never told me yours."_

_Ino grinned. "Yamanaka Ino."_

_Mito inclined her head slightly. "It's a pleasure. I'm Mito."_

_Ino opened her mouth to ask her family name, but a nurse ran out. "Senju-sama!" she called over to where Mito was. "We need an extra pair of hands!"_

"_Coming!" Mito called back, hoisting herself into a standing position. "Sorry, duty calls. I've got limbs to amputate, flirts to kick out, and herbs to catalogue. See you later, Shikamaru-kun, Chouji, Ino."_

_And then she disappeared into the hospital._

"_I like her," Ino decided. "Think she'll teach me that green chakra thing?"_

_Shikamaru flumped back onto the grass with a groan. "Why me?" _

She grinned at her siblings who couldn't help but feel as if they missed something.

* * *

It was before dawn when Mito found herself saying a prayer to the gravestone that bore the name Hyuuga Kouga. It was simple, just the way he would have liked it; Mito couldn't help a sad smile as she thought about her caretaker.

"I checked the hospital records," she informed the tombstone as if it cared about what she had to say, "you died a few days after I left…that's why you were rushing me so much to get out of Suna, it wasn't just for my freedom, it was so I didn't have to see you die..." Mito wiped the tears that had sprung in her eyes. "Kouga-san, you set the foundations for who I am today, the only reason I've lasted this long is because of you… I'm heading out soon, but I'd thought you'd want to know that you have three beautiful grandchildren; two that have the potential to be great medic-nins, like their mother, and one that has a few kinks, but I'm confident those will smooth over in a few years, and even he's got limitless potential, as expected of the Hyuuga Clan. I guess, this is good bye… wish me luck on my training…"

As she left the graveyard behind, she could swear that she could hear his deep, chuckling voice offering her well wishes.

The mornings were always silent in Suna, silent and ominous. She did not like mornings, but it mattered little, for in a matter of minutes to hours she would be gone and Matsuri along with her. The one thing she did regret was leaving her siblings behind, because for all that had happened, she still loved them very dearly, even Gaara. At the same time, though, being in that village with them caused her more pain than she wanted to admit.


	4. Chanced Meetings

**Disclaimer: Masashi Kishimoto owns Naruto**

**Akai Senkou: Chapter Three: Chanced Meetings**

* * *

Matsuri was pretty much in complete awe of the world around her, even though they'd been traveling around for a good two months –leaving five more until Mito had to return to Konoha. In Suna there was nothing but wind and sand, as expected of a country in the Kaze no Kuni (Land of Wind), but out here there was flourishing wildlife, trees in every direction and a stream nearby. It was impressive, to say the least. Matsuri couldn't help the rush of affection that she felt for her sensei, for actually taking her on as an apprentice.

Mito gazed towards the setting sun, taking its position in the soon to be night sky into account. "We'll stop here for the night."

Matsuri nodded tiredly, her legs numb from walking so much. "Hai, Shishou." It was times like these that Mito was grateful that Matsuri wasn't like some of the kunoichi in Konoha who cared more about their appearance than their skills, or else, she was sure she would've heard something about how the journey had ruined her hair, or she was too sweaty. Mito remembered when Ino used to be like that, only people still believed she was because she was so good at deception. Mito had to give her credit for that.

"We'll work on a chakra exercise when you've rested," Mito continued, lowering her large scroll carefully into the soft grass, "this will help you with the **Shousen Jutsu (Mystical Palm Technique)**."

Matsuri didn't dignify that with a response as her knees collapsed and she fell face-first into the grass, her exhaustion apparent as she breathed hard, shaking the grass blades near her mouth. Mito scratched her cheek in embarrassment, lifting her legs slightly, testing the weight. It hadn't seemed like she was going very fast, but then again, Mito wore a couple hundred pounds on her arms and legs, so she probably wouldn't have noticed. That reminded her, she should start Matsuri on weights soon…

Matsuri revived slightly when Mito coached her canteen of water into her hands, helping her lift it to her lips. The younger girl swallowed loudly, but then her sensei suddenly tensed, her hand reaching for the senbon strapped to her thigh, when a voice rang out.

"Mito-sama, fancy meeting you here."

Mito's fingers relaxed, but Matsuri slopped half the water down herself. An easy smile broke across her sensei's face. "Nara Ensui-san, fancy meeting you here."

The Nara gave her a slight inclination of his head as an indication of her status. He, like all Nara men, wore his dark hair in a high ponytail, but it wasn't as spiky as Shikaku-sensei or Shikamaru's. Mito's eyes dropped to the ninken that sat at his feet. Pakkun. So, someone had wanted her found.

"Yo."

Matsuri jumped and hid behind the red-head, clearly surprised that a dog could speak, but Mito merely raised an eyebrow, because she had, quite obviously, seen stranger occurrences. "Pakkun-san, aren't you usually with Kakashi-san?" She had never met the silver-haired Jounin, but he was quite well known for his tracking skills, as well as his prowess in elemental Ninjutsu.

"Normally," the ninja hound grunted in agreement, "but he's on a mission right now and the Hokage figured you'd likely speak more with a Nara."

Mito's eye twitched. "Oh, really?" she asked dryly, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly –typically a bad sign to those who knew her well- in such a way that Ensui had subconsciously taken a step back. "And why would that be?"

"Probably because you'll most likely be marrying the clan heir in a couple years."

Ensui would later gleefully report to his Clan Head of how Mito's cheeks turned as red as roses at the mention of marrying his son. "That's…we're not… he…," she spluttered incoherently, seemingly unable to form the adequate words to express how she felt.

"Allow me to speak frankly, Mito-sama," Ensui offered, stepping between the dog and the Senju heir so as to keep war from breaking out between the two. "Never before has Shikamaru-sama shown such a keen interest in a girl before, let alone voluntarily spend an extended amount of time with one. Generally Nara relationships are very passive-aggressive, but it appears he has taken a different approach. The whole clan has been placing bets on you two for years."

A mortified expression marred her face. "Bets?" she all but squeaked, completely horrified at the turn of events.

She looked like she was going to faint, so Ensui hurried on. "Hokage-sama has an S-rank for you, in Takigakure."

"Takigakure?" Mito couldn't hide her surprise. The village could be ruthless when it wanted to be, and they were particularly adverse to Jinchuuriki, even their own. She reached out to take the scroll, when she remembered the slim girl hiding behind her and the thin boy collapsed on the ground. "Matsuri, why don't I start you on your exercise?"

It wasn't really a question, and Matsuri could hear how low her sensei's voice had dropped; the only sign of how serious the conversation had turned. Her eyes flickered between the man who Mito clearly knew, and her sensei. "Hai, Shishou," she said, though her breaths were still slightly labored as she stumbled into a standing position.

Ensui's eyebrows climbed an inch at the title as the girl who would most likely –there was little doubt- become the Matriarch of the Nara Clan directed her apprentice to the base of the tree.

"You will be climbing this tree," Mito said, indicating the tree with her finger, "but without your hands."

Matsuri opened her mouth, clearly confused, when Mito continued. "You will be channeling your chakra to the soles of your feet, like so." Her hands formed the hitsuji symbol, her sandals glowing a faint blue as she placed one foot at the base, and slowing began to walk vertically up the bark, before kicking away and doing several consecutive acrobatics as she flipped to her feet on the ground. "Begin."

She had already turned away when Matsuri ran at the tree, turning her attention instead to the scroll still held in Ensui's hand. Her shoulders slumped slightly as she took it from his grip, swiping her blood across the seal and opening it.

_Takigakure is your destination,_ it began. _Jiraiya has gotten word from his spy network that something will be happening in the country's outskirts. What sort of event, we cannot be sure. Your mission is to observe and gather information. Report back when the mission is complete. Burn this._

A mild Katon jutsu later and the scroll was a pile of ash. Her fingers reached up to palm the Nara symbol hanging from her ear, a motion that did not go unnoticed to Ensui. She suddenly faced him and winked. "Give Shikamaru-kun a kiss from me." The snicker that followed wasn't even covered up.

Ensui rolled her eyes as if to say he would never be caught dead kissing the Nara heir, something she seemed to enjoy, but he didn't have the confidence to say such a thing. "I'll tell him."

"Arigatou, Ensui-san," she said, gesturing to the pile of ash on the grass. "Tell Hokage-sama I'll make it a priority and will send a messenger once it's completed."

Ensui tipped his head slightly, giving her a last goodbye as he and his guide made back towards Konoha. Mito sat down hard when he left, leaning against her large scroll tiredly, smoothing a hand over a coppery eyebrow as her thoughts raced in her skull at a hundred miles a minute.

"Shishou?" Matsuri's concerned voice sounded from high above, peering down at her sensei from the underside of a tree branch. "Is something wrong?"

"It's nothing, Matsuri," Mito assured her. "Come back down."

Giggling, the brunette descended the tree, bouncing to Mito's side. She mentally congratulated herself when Mito gave her a small smile, glad to have eased the concerned expression from her face. Mito's eyes took in her apprentice's clothes, how ratty and damaged they'd become. She reached out to tug on her sleeve. "Ah, we need to get you some new clothes…after this next exercise, I'm going to put weights on you. Do you know what they are?"

Matsuri frowned, her eyes wincing in thought. "Not really, only that you and Ino-senpai wear them, and that they make you really fast in your Taijutsu…"

Mito nodded seriously. "When you adjust to the weight they add, you pour more chakra into them to increase the amount. You do it gradually so your arms and legs can adjust. Ino and I use them because they're quite useful in the style that my mother utilizes; brute strength. She developed it to protect herself while healing wounded shinobi on the battlefield, you'd do well to learn it."

"Hai, Shishou," she breathed in excitement. "What's the next exercise?"

"Water walking," Mito informed her, leading her off further into the forest, weaving between trees and bushes until a small stream finally came into view. She smiled at the sight of the clear water. "This is perfect."

Mito turned back to Matsuri who was now gazing at the stream in apprehension.

She chuckled slightly. "No need to look so worried, Matsuri. You did very well on the Tree Climbing exercise," Mito assured her. "This is only slightly different."

Obsidian met violet and the tension slowly eased from Matsuri's shoulders. She was doing well, she advanced very quickly, despite her chakra control having been slightly shaky, but with these exercises she would improve, and she needed to improve, to show her sensei she was as serious as she had been two months ago. Resolution filled her up like an expanding balloon.

"Now, instead of channeling your chakra so that you stick to the surface, you will be consistently releasing your chakra to repel yourself from the water." Matsuri's jaw unhinged as her sensei lifted each foot to place it onto the surface of the water, as if it was as hard as ice, ripples spanning out around her with every step she took. "It is a bit difficult," she admitted in an afterthought, as, clearly, she had grown so used to utilizing this skill that she didn't have to really try hard to succeed, "because constant focus must be maintained, but…" Mito closed her eyes and grinned, dropping a hand to ruffle Matsuri's chocolate spikes, "I have complete confidence in you!"

Matsuri's dark eyes grew bright and a pleased flush colored her cheeks. "I won't let you down, Shishou!" she promised.

Mito merely grinned, returning to where she had left their things. She listened to the sounds of splashing water as she settled down for a nap, lulled to sleep almost instantly by the humid air.

* * *

Ino's chop sticks twirled the meat around on her plate, a distinctive frown bending her lips ever so slightly.

"I haven't seen you eat so little since you went on that diet," Inoichi noticed, his food half eaten, though it was more than Ino had eaten in the entire night.

Ino puffed up her cheeks slightly. "Do you think Mito's okay?" Her aquamarine eyes were filled with concern.

The captain of the Intelligence Division tapped her hand softly with two of his fingers. "Mito can take of herself, Ino, she's helped Shikaku out of more scrapes than I can count." Blue-green met identical eyes. "What's really bothering you, princess?"

"Hinata and I were volunteering in the hospital and some nurses were saying how things were actually getting done now that the 'demon-girl' was gone," Ino said sullenly.

Inoichi stopped eating to give her his full attention. He knew about the recent treatment Mito had been on the receiving end of, courtesy of the civilians, and he knew it was nothing she deserved.

"Mito told us to ignore it whenever she was around," Ino's voice had taken on a forlorn tone, "but how can she just ignore those cruel things people say about her? About Naruto?" His lips twitched slightly at how close she had gotten to the Jinchuuriki and her friends; one hardly saw any of them without each other.

Inoichi's tea scalded his throat. "Those two are incredibly resilient, Ino, it'll take more than a few insults to knock them down, besides Mito's smart and dangerous, a deadly combination; you don't want to piss her off…not that I've ever seen her pissed off."

Ino's lips twitched slightly. "People look at her," Ino said slowly, "and they see talent, but then there's those people who look at her and Naruto with the same eyes, like they're the plague."

"And that bothers you?" Inoichi asked, already knowing the answer.

Ino's eyes flashed dangerously. "Damn straight it does! She's my best friend! No one works as hard as she does, but they all complain when she's more advanced...no one ever complains about Sasuke, so why do they hate that about Mito?"

"Sometimes people are just very stupid," Inoichi informed her sagely, and Ino couldn't help but agree with her father on that aspect.

* * *

"Are those weights bothering you yet?"

Matsuri looked up from where she was counting the sheer number of medicinal herbs in Konoha that she could make out from her distance. "Oh," she said, surprise coloring her voice. "I hadn't even noticed."

A smirk twisted her lips. "Ready for an upgrade, then?"

"Hai, Shishou!" she said eagerly, though grunting as the weight was added to her limbs by a mere touch of her hands. She flexed her arms, kicking up her legs slightly as she walked. "Shishou, this is where you live, right?"

Purple eyes surveyed the country-side. "Not quite," she mused. "This is the country I hail from, but Konoha is my home. It's a simple city in this country."

"Where exactly are we going, Shishou?" Matsuri asked curiously. "That man said you had an S-rank mission in Takigakure…is that where we're going?"

Mito raised an eyebrow at her. "It's where I'm going, but you are going to be staying in an old safe house that belonged to my family…though I don't expect my business will take too long…ah, here we are!"

Matsuri was starting to worry about her sensei's sanity –there was nothing there!- when she pressed her hands into several quick hand seals too fast for Matsuri's eyes to follow, slamming her hand into the ground. For a moment nothing happened, and then the forest flickered, as if it was a mirage, before falling away slightly, revealing a worn path up the mountain. She grinned. "It seems I've still got it…off we go!"

Matsuri stared up the mountain. "This is yours?"

Mito grimaced. "Technically, it's Kaa-chan's," she wheedled, brightening slightly, "but she doesn't mind when I borrow her stuff, so come on!"

For some reason after traveling so long with Mito it had never dawned on Matsuri just how rich she was. This mountain was a prime example, as Matsuri gaped at her sensei from behind. The safe house itself wasn't very large, perhaps three houses facing each other in a 'u', but the amount of training area was quite unbelievable. Matsuri wondered if Mito had trained here as a child. Her eyes roved over her from behind; her build was rather slender, with only the slightest appearance of muscle, and she hadn't grown that much. Enemies might not think of her as much of a challenge with those soft features that she wore so proudly, but Matsuri had seen her Suiton jutsu in action as well as her Taijutsu and raw strength; sometimes her sensei could be terrifying.

"From this point you are on your own," Mito informed her, glancing out to the horizon, gauging the time of day from the position of the sun in the sky. "Hopefully my business won't take too long, but I want you to practice on some of the more deeply wounded dummies, alright?" When her mother had started the medical program, she had developed practice dummies that mimicked humans in how the injuries were in certain situations, they were always used when training new medic-nins, but those were few in number; Mito had trained the first in several years.

"Hai, Shishou!" Matsuri called as her sensei leapt into the trees and vanished, girl, scroll, and all.

When Mito's feet touched ground again she moved quickly to hide from any who were making their way to or from Takigakure, hiding high up on the branches of a tree, unable to be seen or sensed.

"Safe enough," she murmured, closing one eye, placing two fingers over it to keep it from opening. She opened one palm, clenching it so that sand swirled around in it to form an eyeball with a brown iris. She rarely used sand-based techniques, preferring Suiton over sand any day, but this technique in particular was good for espionage. "The optic nerve is connected," she murmured to herself as she squashed the eye sending particles of sand in the direction of the subtle, but powerful chakra signature. The area where it originated was located in a structure completely hidden in stone. There were even seals in place to ensure that no one could enter but a select few. Mito smirked up in her tree. Too bad sand wasn't considered human. The particles sifted along the side until she found a suitable crack large enough for her to move through, rematerializing as an eyeball behind a large stone block, peering cautiously around it.

Her breath caught at the massive statue that overlooked the area. It was a giant structure that was wrinkled and decayed, with nine closed eyes, and spikes protruding from its back. It had two hands outstretched, figures standing on all but one of the fingers; only two were in the flesh, the others were holograms. One of the eyes was almost completely open; Mito assumed that had something to do with the blue chakra pouring out of the beast's mouth, enveloping the figure of a young girl, from whom she could see red chakra escaping her lips and eyes. A Jinchuuriki. Mito's open eye narrowed slightly. It was highly likely that when the eye opened completely, she would die.

She had apparently thought too soon. The body fell with a loud crash and the holograms fizzed out, leaving only the two real ones. She recognized the first easily as Uchiha Itachi, a nuke-nin from Konoha, she had had dealings with him in the past. The other she knew only by name, Hoshigaki Kisame, a nuke-nin from Kiri, one who had plotted several assassinations as well as trying to overthrow its corrupt government. They were not people you wanted to catch you spying on them. She held her breath, even though she was miles away, quickly hiding her third eye behind the boulder until Kisame's echoing cruel laughter had disappeared along with the two chakra signatures.

Mito's hands formed the seals for the **Kawarimi no Jutsu (Body Replacement Technique**): hitsuji, I, ushi, inu, and mi. In less than a second she had switched places with her sand, and the first thing she did was inhale and listen hard for enemies, and when she found none, she raced to the girl's side. She bent her head to her chest, listening and not being surprised to find no heart beating in the thoracic cavity.

"Okay," she breathed to herself. "The body's still warm…that means I can still resuscitate." Mito pressed her fingers to the girl's chest, directly on the tenketsu points over her heart, jolting the heart as she forced her chakra into the girl's deteriorating chakra coils, reviving the chakra network only slightly, until the third time when it flared to life and she finally breathed in.

* * *

Matsuri's gaze drifted over to the futon where the slumbering girl slept. When Mito had brought her back looking like death had warmed over, the brunette hadn't known how to react, but Mito seemed to be a bit in shock herself, though Matsuri couldn't think why. The mystery girl had an exotic appearance, even more so than Mito. Her short spiky hair was the color of mint and her skin was a light brown. She was a kunoichi of Takigakure, Matsuri knew because she wore the hitai-ate on her arm, but other than that, she was a stranger.

A soft groan escaped her lips and her closed eyes scrunched up in a grimace, slowly blinking open to reveal shockingly orange pupil less irises.

When Fuu slowly awakened, the first thing she noticed was she was weaker than she'd ever felt and Choumei's presence had completely disappeared. His disappearance coupled with her memory loss as well as the pain made her quite frantic. She leaned forward suddenly, pain vibrating through her, almost making her sick, until a soft hand steadied her.

"Easy," the voice murmured, "don't overdo it."

Fuu blinked in surprise at the concern she could clearly hear in the girl's voice, turning to face the owner of the voice. She was young, maybe twelve, younger than Fuu. She did not recognize her.

"Who're you?" she rasped, her voice scratchy and dry.

The brunette handed her a cup of water, waiting as she drank it all in one gulp, refilled it and handed to back to her. "I'm Matsuri," she said helpfully, "I'm the apprentice of Senju Mito, she's the one that saved you."

"Saved me?" Fuu asked blankly. "Saved me from what?"

Matsuri shrugged carelessly. "Not sure, it was an S-ranked mission; I wasn't allowed to go. What's your name?"

"Fuu." Short and to the point.

"If you can stand, Fuu-san," Matsuri said, getting to her feet herself and holding out a hand, "she's outside in the stream off to the right."

Mito was not who Fuu expected. She was her age, probably, and she had thought she was an old woman. Mito had bright purple eyes, and she wore her red hair in buns on either side of her head with tag-like seals hanging from the decals. She had a very kind face and intelligent eyes, that was the second thing that she noticed. Her left arm was tattooed with magatama in a figure eight, much like prayer beads. She didn't take note of Fuu's presence until her fingers glowed with chakra, heating the water in the pan to a low boil, setting it beside her as she lifted her eyes to meet Fuu's orange ones.

She gave her the first genuine smile Fuu had seen in a long time. "Ah, good, you're awake." She motioned her forward. "I didn't get the chance to introduce myself before. I'm Senju Mito from Konoha, and your name is…?"

"Fuu," the mintette informed her.

"Let me see your burns," she offered. "How do they feel?"

Fuu hadn't really thought about the chakra burns across her chest, arms, and legs after the initial spasm of pain she'd had when she'd awoken. "They...burn."

Mito had the decency to look abashed. "My apologies, when I performed the resuscitation technique I had to overload your chakra coils with my own in order to spark your chakra network to life once more-"

"Why?"

Purple eyes blinked in surprise. "Why, what?" She asked.

"Why save me?" Fuu rasped, her voice raw with emotion. "No one in Taki ever cared about me, so why you, a complete stranger?"

Mito's eyes warmed and she gave the mint-haired girl a soft smile. "I am no stranger to loneliness, Fuu-san. Take my hand and you will see."

Cautiously, Fuu placed her fingers barely over Mito's spread palm. Nothing happened, but then she felt it, that pulsating energy that was so similar to what she had used to feel all the time when she hosted Choumei.

"The connection between a Bijuu and their Jinchuuriki is almost symbiotic," Mito said quietly. "Some hate each other, but some learn to live with their situation. But we all share the pain and solitude, Fuu-san, and that is why I saved you."

Fuu found that she could not speak, her heart clogging up her throat. Never had anyone ever cared about her so much to bring her back to life. "Thank you," she finally choked out throatily.

Mito shrugged. "It's kind of my job, now your arms please."

Fuu held out her darker skinned arms than Mito's, the red burns standing out against her flesh. Mito took one of her arms in her hands, inspecting the skin thoroughly.

"What did you mean by it's your job?"

Mito's eyes met hers. "I'm a medic-nin from Konoha. I'm going to press down on the burn and I want you to tell me how the pain is, one to ten."

"Alright," Fuu grimaced as she poked the wound gently. "Um...three...one...five...six...ow! Ten!"

"You have some minor nerve damage," Mito told her, dipping a rag into the hot water. "This will sting," she warned, "but I need to disinfect the wound."

Fuu nodded, wincing hard as the water made contact with her skin. The rag only left her skin after a good thirty seconds had passed, replaced by a glowing green hand. The chakra was soothing to her burns and she sighed.

"If you want," Mito continued lightly, tying a bandage around her forearm and moving to the next injured arm, "once you heal, you can stay here and I can teach you Medical Ninjutsu, but only if you want to."

"Medical Ninjutsu?" Fuu hissed through clenched teeth, doing her best to ignore the pain, but failing.

Mito gave her a kind smile. "I get the feeling that you will have an aptitude for it."

No one had ever thought Fuu could make anything out of herself, not in Taki at least. Tears gathered in her eyes.

"Matsuri will be returning to Suna in a year or so," Mito added, "but she'll be returning with me to Konoha to finish her training, you could come as well, you'd probably get better treatment there than Taki."

"I…thank you."

Mito's answering smile was all she needed to bury Fuu of Taki in the past, and she would one day be known as Reiki no Fuu, Fuu of the Healing Touch.

* * *

"Want to talk about it?"

Mito's eyes shifted from the open sliding door, beyond which she was gazing out into the clear night. Her eyes startled Fuu, because they had a haunted look as if nothing could erase her bad memories. Her eyes were back on the crescent moon before Fuu could hardly breathe. "Not particularly," she admitted as Matsuri stumbled out of her futon to join them, roused from her slumber by their voices. "Wazzgoing on?" she asked blearily.

Mito spoke softly, as if she could not muster herself to raise her voice any further. "Matsuri, do you remember when I tested you for any sign of a Kekkei Genkai?"

Matsuri nodded, her brow furrowed. "You said they were incredibly rare…"

"I didn't mention that I have two," Mito interjected suddenly. "The Futton I inherited from the Terumi clan through the blood of my great-grandmother, the only one of my siblings to inherit it, but I also have a second one, one I had no choice in."

Fuu peered curiously at her. "What do you mean?"

"When I was ten I was kidnapped," Mito finally admitted to the trio, her mouth sour with the words. "It was done by a man that had once belonged to Konoha, the ex-teammate of my mother and godfather. He was named a nuke-nin after it was discovered that he was performing human experimentation with the Shodai Hokage's DNA; he really was one of the most despicable men I had ever lain my eyes on." She sighed, rubbing her eyes. "His name was Orochimaru and he tried to assimilate my DNA with the Shodai Hokage's." She scowled fiercely. "I can't really be sure what his motive was, but when I woke up again, I was in the Nara's personal infirmary and Shikamaru was sleeping in the chair next to me with a large bruise on his neck. Shikaku-sensei told me how Inuzuka Hana and Shikamaru tracked me down…it probably saved my life."

Fuu couldn't help the anger that bubbled beneath her skin. Mito hadn't done anything wrong! Maybe that was just her feeling connected to Mito through their shared burden, but it did seem like Mito had been singled out.

A giggle suddenly erupted from Mito's lips. "Don't let it bother you guys…even Shikaku-sensei couldn't blame me when I snuck into Shikamaru's room in the dead of night for a couple weeks."

Matsuri gaped at her. "You snuck into your boyfriend's room?!"

Mito waved off that comment with her hand, though her cheeks turned the barest of pinks. "We weren't dating at the time…"

The laughter made Mito flush darker as she tried to defend herself to them, failing utterly. It wasn't long after that Matsuri succumbed to sleep. Mito's eyes shifted to Fuu's with a soft smile. "I guess I'm not the only one who's a light sleeper."

Fuu shrugged. "It's always been that way. Same for you?"

Her lips twitched slightly. "It must be all those ANBU missions I've gone on…but you should get some rest; I'm going to meditate." Fuu nodded, standing and wandering back to her futon as Mito closed her eyes, focusing her chakra.

"Hey…Shukaku? You still alive?"

The tanuki beast had turned away from her so all she could see was his backside. Mito sighed, not having expected any different. "Look, furball, I don't like you and you don't like me, but we're going to have to work together sometime. I don't want to be someone who just uses up your chakra; I _want_ to like you, I _want_ to work with you, but you're making it so goddamn hard!" She stamped her foot into the damp floor in irritation, before sighing and raising a fist to the raccoon. "Please," she said quietly, "help me become someone to be admired, someone you can trust implicitly."

A single black and bronze eye surveyed her. His container had never looked so serious, there was no hint of weakness or dishonesty in her statement. She had experienced much and overcome much…she had surpassed his expectations and had become the person destined to become the true host of him, one in which the blood of the Rikudo Sennin was strong. If she was destined to be his keeper…well, he might just have to start liking her. Finally, at long last, he extended his fist to bump hers, giving a rumbling chuckle at the look of complete surprise on her face.

"**I might be starting to like you brat**."

Mito found herself grinning widely at that comment, raising her own fist in return.


	5. Through the Mist, Into Clouds

**Disclaimer: Masashi Kishimoto owns Naruto**

**Akai Senkou: Chapter Five: Through the Mist, Into Clouds**

* * *

She was the last person Choujuro expected when he went searching for the Senju Mito-sama per Mizukage-sama's request. She reminded him immediately of pictures he'd seen of the Nidiame Hokage, but she didn't look much like him. It was the scars on her cheeks and the firm stare that got him. By the time he had come to a stop in front of her, she had already released about a dozen senbon needles and kunai knifes and was already holding more to throw at him. Impressive accuracy and reloading rate, he had to admit.

"W-wait!"

She froze, momentarily, her keen eyes focused on him, waiting to hear what his reason for tracking her was. In the time it took Choujuro to reach into his waist pouch, she had angled a kunai on his throat, biting into his flesh slightly. One look at her told him she was not impressed.

"A mi-missive from Mizukage-sama!" he choked out.

She arched an eyebrow, tilting her head back and calling out, "Matsuri, check him."

A brown haired girl appeared by his side, breaking the seal on the scroll with ease as she walked past the pair, reading the contents silently.

"Yagura has been defeated," she said, scanning the contents quickly with her eyes, "a new Mizukage has been elected, a Terumi Mei..." she looked up sharply, "she possesses the Futton and the Youton."

Mito stiffened slightly, but waited for Matsuri to finish reading the contents of the scroll.

"She's requesting your assistance in matters of the medical nature," a new voice commented from behind Matsuri and Choujuro started slightly at the appearance of a third girl, one with mint-green hair and odd orange eyes, leaning over the brunette's shoulder reading the contents from behind, "with payment afterwards."

Mito raised an eyebrow, removing her senbon from Choujuro's throat and striding over to the pair, taking the scroll and reading silently.

"I suppose this is legitimate," she said dryly after a long moment, eyeing the boy speculatively, "though I wonder why the Mizukage would entrust such a document to a Chuunin."

Choujuro coughed slightly in embarrassment. "Genin, ma'am."

Her eyebrows inched up higher on her forehead. "Oh, really? You're chakra amount is not Genin-level."

Choujuro felt his cheeks flush brightly at the veiled compliment; he got a feeling she didn't give them out freely.

"I recognize that sword," Matsuri said suddenly, pointing to the wide dual-handled blade strapped to his back. "It's one of the swords of the _Kiri no Shinobigatana Shichinin Shuu_ (Seven Ninja Swordsman of the Mist), isn't it?"

Choujuro started slightly, reflexively reaching for one of the sturdy hilts.

"Shishou had me read up on histories of the other Great Lands," Matsuri explained, catching sight of his unease, "there was a passage describing the weapons of the Seven…the Hiramekarei, right? I only remembered it because it was similar to Shishou's _Byakugou no In (Strength of a Hundred Seal)_." Her eyes flashed to the violet rhombus that lay at the center of her master's forehead.

"Concerning the Mizukage's request," Mito said suddenly, directing the attention away from her seal, "we would be happy to provide Mizukage-sama with whatever she requires…if my apprentices and I are comfortable with it, that is."

Somehow, Choujuro couldn't help but be reminded of Mei-sama when Mito gave him that deathly smile of hers, sending a shiver down his spine.

"I'll be damned," Sarutobi Asuma uttered, smirking around his glowing cigarette. "Little Mito's all grown up."

His companion, the famous Sharingan no Kakashi -otherwise known as Hatake Kakashi-, lifted his dark eyes from his latest Icha Icha novel to follow Asuma's gaze to the Senju heir. Kakashi had never really met the girl, but he had heard rumors about her, bad rumors, worse than Naruto, probably. She had entered ANBU after he had left and she was apprenticed to Nara Shikaku, that was about as much truth about her that he knew. What was really astonishing was how their Commander-san actually took on an apprentice, something he had been saying for years that he would never do. Even more shocking, was when it had been revealed years later that she was dating Shikaku-sama's son, Shikamaru. That was a relationship that hadn't surprised anyone but the two involved.

Clearly, she and her boyfriend were still going strong, if the green haori with the Nara Clan symbol stitched into the back was anything to go by. Her hair had grown out a bit and she had clipped hair cuffs onto her long bangs.

"You trained her?" Kakashi guessed, assuming that Asuma knew her well enough, if he could call her "Mito" so casually and not get his nuts chopped off...or at least thrown into a wall, well, through a wall would be more accurate, considering Mito's brute strength was remarkably similar to her mother's.

"In fire jutsu," Asuma elaborated with a nod, "when she wasn't on missions or Shikaku-sama was busy...she is very impressive."

"She's a prodigy, then?" Asuma raised his eyes slightly.

"Don't let her hear you say that, she hates that kind of terminology. She considers prodigies people who don't have to work hard to be the best; her philosophy is the opposite. Besides, you don't end up with a name like 'Red Flash' without working hard and having some kind of skill."

Mito had caught his eye, a wide grin spreading across her face when he lifted his hand in a light wave. She tossed him a subtle wink before speaking to her only male companion, a boy with light blue hair and rectangular glasses. The boy blinked and nodded to whatever she said, turning slightly as he led her and two others through the crowd, his Kiri hitai-ate catching the light.

Asuma couldn't help but be suspicious of what Mito was doing in the company of one from the Chijiri no Sato (Village of the Bloody Mist). Though, as always, he reserved judgment on the actions Mito performed outside of her general duties.

* * *

"When they say 'hidden in the mist', they mean 'hidden in the mist'," Fuu's voice echoed somewhere behind Mito, probably lost for the seventh time that hour. The mist was thick and copious around all the surrounding areas, swathing the village with fog. It was a wonderful delaying tactic, Mito had to admit as she steered Fuu away from the cliff and into the right direction once again, but the sheer amount.

"How much longer?" Matsuri couldn't help but complain, after cupping her nose in her hands, protecting it from any more trees she could run into.

"The guards are just ahead," Choujuro explained shyly, pointing somewhere within the mist. Mito narrowed her eyes, sending out a subtle pulse of chakra, activating her** Kekkei: Tengai Houjin (Barrier: Canopy Method Formation)**, a technique that allowed her to sense everything within the sphere of chakra that spread out invisibly around her. It was the first jutsu that Jiraiya-oji had taught her, back when she was blind, to help her to not run into so many things. After awhile she hadn't really needed the jutsu, relying more on her own senses, like her great-grandfather. She sighed softly as she pinpointed four chakra signatures, it wasn't caution that brought it on though, it was longing. She tried very hard not to think about her family and friends back in Konoha, because it only caused her more heartbreak, especially since Matsuri was a less shy Hinata and Fuu was a more tomboy-ish Ino. Entering a village always felt like that, and despite her treatment, Mito missed her home, her friends, and her boyfriend. She missed lighting up a cigarette after a long day at the hospital ("Old enough to kill, old enough to smoke," Asuma-sensei had once said), she missed lazing around in the sun on her days off, she missed the times she and her friends had bought meat and vegetables from Yakiniku Q and cooked them on the brazier at her place under the stars...she missed a lot of things now that she thought about it.

The four guards stared at her when they finally came into view, surprised by her age, she assumed, but they gave them passage, all the same.

Kiri was busier than Mito would have expected, but then they probably had to be rebuilt after Yagura-sama's Reign of Terror. She counted a good dozen carpenters hard at work, not even noticing them as they walked by, but the hunter-nin wearing a white mask with the Kiri symbol and a swirl of blue did. Mito watched him carefully out of the corner of her eye. She wasn't sure if Matsuri or Fuu noticed, too relived to not have so much mist covering the inner workings of the village as the outside had been. Still, being in another village always made her a tiny bit uneasy. She practiced a brief amount of rhythmic breathing before following Choujuro blank faced to her meeting with the Mizukage.

"An autopsy?" Mito couldn't keep the surprise from entering her voice as she gazed apprehensively at the man on the metal slab. Yagura, the Yondaime Mizukage was as small in death as he was in death. Being in his presence despite him no longer breathing was awing; she couldn't help but admire the man for his prowess in Suiton, though she didn't like how he had prosecuted those with Kekkei Genkai. "I was unaware that your people were incapable of such actions…or is there something else?"

Terumi Mei had to admit that she was sharper than she looked. "I'm afraid all those medic-nins in Kiri that could perform it, won't."

Mito nodded seriously. "I can understand that," she said calmly. "I'll do it…is there anything about him I should be aware of?"

Ao's eyes flickered to his leader's, but he saw no dishonesty in her bright eyes.

"Yagura was the Jinchuuriki of the Sanbi."

Violet eyes blinked at her. "Really?" Mito asked in surprise, a hand reaching up to cup her chin in a thoughtful expression. "Well, I suppose it isn't really surprising considering the power he possessed…" Her sensitive nose wrinkled at the slight scent of decay that hit her nose. "I assume all the materials required are in the vicinity?"

"Yes," Mei agreed, bobbing her head in agreement, though she looked a little pale –probably because she was in the same room as the man she had worked so hard to kill. "Ao will show you where everything is, and thank you so much for doing this."

Mito gave a respectful bow to the woman, bending low. "It will be my honor to assist you, Mizukage-sama."

And with that Mei left to attend to her other duties and Mito walked over to scrub her hands and arms thoroughly before the procedure, only to find her way blocked by a sharp kunai lodged over her throat. She lifted her head slightly to eye the masked Hunter-nin, arching a crimson eyebrow. "Now, Ao-san, that's hardly courteous…need I remind you what my death would bring?"

Senju Mito was a dangerous individual; Ao could see why she had become an ANBU.

"Consider it erring on the side of caution," he said through the mask. "If you should go against the wishes of Mei-sama…" he let that threat hang in the open air, but all Mito did was smirk.

"Then I have been warned, Ao-san," she stated calmly, "but I have no interest in sparking a war…I don't have enough time for one." She pulled a blue medical gown over her clothes, pulling a surgical mask over her face. She held a second one to Ao who gave her a dubious expression. "To protect you from airborne diseased pathogens," she explained calmly. "That mask isn't disease-proof, Ao-san. Take it."

So he did, grudgingly, watching her carefully as she frowned over the body. "Where is his seal?"

"Left shoulder blade."

She cut the material away from the torso as she twisted the former Mizukage onto his side, her fingers probing the blue circular seal stamped into the skin. "The Mizu Fuuin (Water Seal)," she said, her voice impressed. "Not as impressive as the Shishou Fuuin (Four Symbols Seal), but higher than I would have expected…ah!" She leaned close, still murmuring to herself. "Some residual chakra, it seems…" She sent a small amount of chakra into the seal, but when she opened her eyes again, she was in a world of darkness.

"What the-?"

**"Careful, Senju,**" a demonic voice warned from her side, "**you've entered another Jinchuuriki's psyche.**"

Mito glanced over to see Shukaku shrunk to a manageable size, hovering by her side. Her first thought was: "Why are you out of your cage?" In retrospect, it probably wasn't the best question to ask in that situation.

Shukaku's multicolored eyes glared at her with venom. "**You brought me here, foolish child!**" he growled. "**Didn't you notice?!**"

"There's no need to be mean!" Mito said, though she was grinning at him, unfazed by his insults. "You're starting to like me, aren't you?"

**"Doubtful**," the sand spirit grumbled, jerking his head past them. "**There he is**."

She recognized the Mizukage, having been familiar with his picture from before. Strange soft pink eyes shone out under short grey hair, a stitch-like scar descending from one eyes down his face. It still stunned Mito that he had such a child-like appearance.

The man bowed lowly to her. "Greetings, I am Yagura."

"Um…Hello, Yagura-sama," Mito responded nervously (why wouldn't she be nervous? This man persecuted people with Kekkei Genkai, like her.), her thumbs and first fingers smoothing together into her nervous habit. "I'm Senju Mito."

His eyes widened barely to Mito's proclamation, but then she did have a similar composure to him and identical shrewd eyes.

"A Jinchuuriki?" he mused.

Mito wrinkled her nose, but thought it best not to lie to the dead man. "That is correct."

Her response actually made him laugh a deep, echoing laugh. "No one likes the terminology."

Mito's lips twitched slightly, but betrayed no other emotions. "Please forgive me, I am not used to speaking with someone such as yourself…your mastery of Suiton is legendary."

His smile was oddly pleased. "Thank you." His attention then turned to his hands that were now becoming transparent. "Ah…it seems I don't have much time left…"

Mito quirked an eyebrow at him. "Then what was the point of preserving your chakra inside your seal?"

He smiled mysteriously. "Out of habit, perhaps…you have a Kekkei Genkai, don't you, Senju-san?"

Violet eyes narrowed slightly. "And if I did?" Her tone was slightly accusatory.

He chuckled once more. "It is just an observation, Senju-san." He stunned her when he reached out to ruffle her bright hair. "Nurture it. Become someone as great as your ancestor. Prove your strength to the world; show them what the Jinchuuriki are capable of."

"I will." Her face was void of uncertainty, a smirk playing across her lips, her eyes shimmering with truth. "You don't need to worry about that, Yagura-sama…" Her eyes shifted to Shukaku and her grin widened. "I have all the help I could possibly need."

Yagura's eyes softened for a brief moment, feeling strangely nostalgic as the rest of his chakra faded and Mito opened her eyes in the real world.

* * *

The time passed rather slowly for Fuu, whose body felt rather strained from how long she went without moving, remaining on the piece of floor that she had sat down upon when Mito had been whisked away. Matsuri had already fallen asleep, and had remained such for hours. Fuu was jealous, silently marveling at how she could so easily fall asleep in places where they were surrounded by people who could easily dispatch them, leaving no evidence of their arrival or subsequent death behind. But, then, Matsuri had been raised civilian, she had had a childhood and parents who showered her with affection, something neither Fuu nor Mito had experienced, and even Mito had only experienced it much later after terrible habits had taken root.

It was only when a gentle hand tapped her shoulder gently, rousing her gently that she realized that she had actually began to fall asleep.

"Fuu?" Mito's voice hummed in her ear, pulling her slowly into awareness, slapping her cheek just enough for the girl to open her bright sleepy eyes. "Can you walk on your own? We're moving to the hotel."

"M'kay," she mumbled, tiredly using the wall to pull herself up into a standing position, blinking several times as Mito lifted her comatose third apprentice into her arms, looping both of their bags over her shoulder. Fuu silently marveled at how kind Mito could be when she wasn't in dire situations or training them into the ground. That wasn't to say she was a mean person, she just had high expectations for her apprentices to go above and beyond, which they did. She supposed this was a quality her boyfriend rather much liked.

She followed behind Mito at a slow pace, nearly walking into several rather obvious posts before they reached the hotel room. Fuu helped Mito remove the bags and tuck the still slumbering Matsuri into a bed.

"You should get some sleep, Fuu," Mito spoke quietly, her voice sounding more like gentle whistles of wind than vibrations made by a voice box.

"What about you?" That was always the question Fuu asked concerning her sensei. Mito was a person who spent more time star gazing than she did sleeping. There were some days where she spent the whole night in a peaceful slumber, but there were also times where she could hardly close her eyes without nightmarish images echoing beneath her closed eyes.

Mito gave her a smile, nonetheless, one that she rarely gave anyone but Shikamaru. "I'll be fine, Fuu, you shouldn't worry so much. Get some sleep."

The order was subtle, but no matter how much Fuu wanted to rebel against it, her body was already exhausted from the hike, and the last thing on her to-do list for the day was get a very restful night of sleep.

"Alright," she conceded, peeling off her sandals and collapsing into the space beside Matsuri, leaving Mito in the silence.

It was a full moon. Mito never slept on full moons. Shukaku was always the strongest on those nights that she grew to fear how the seal on her stomach tightened and burned. Now, she wasn't sure how to feel about the beast. Really, neither of them were in an ideal situation (it never was when you were a Jinchuuriki), but at the same time, Mito hadn't really tried to understand him until recently. She could, theoretically, summon him into the physical plane, and they could, theoretically, learn to work together, but she had reservations. Maybe tonight she would try for some sleep.

"Mito-sama? Mito-sama!" A hand was shaking her into wakefulness.

"Wha-?" Mito blinked her eyes open, scrubbing the sleep from her eyes to stare at a woman she didn't recognize. "What're you-"

"Honestly, Milady!" The woman complained, dragging her out of bed. "It is hardly becoming for the Senju heir to be napping in the middle of the day!"

Against her will, Mito could feel her cheeks enflaming at the veiled insult, so she allowed herself to be dragged through the halls of what she recognized to be the Senju compound (though she was wondering how she got from Kiri to Konoha) to be pushed out of the doors and pointed towards the opposite engawa. "Tobirama-sama has been waiting for you!"

Her violet eyes widened further and her mouth went dry. "Tobirama-ojii?"

She was so confused. Tobirama was dead, the Senju compound was filled with Senju and located in the Nara lands? It was like all of her memories and dreams had smashed together to form this.

Tobirama looked young, his long legs hanging over the engawa as he fiddled with a shogi piece on the board off to the side. His pure white hair fell shaggily around his face framing the marks that Mito had inherited on his cheeks. His solid dark red eyes met hers in an instant and his lips curled upwards as he motioned her closer. And she stumbled forward in compliance. His attention had turned completely onto her as he raised a hand to cup her side holding her before him as he memorized her face.

His smile was kind and his touch was cool like stream water. "Ah, you are a pleasant mix," he said, his voice deeper than Mito anticipated. "I was worried you'd be too much like me…but you have a good bit of Suiren in you."

Mito gritted her teeth, trying to force the tears down, but they fell anyways, trailing rapidly down her cheeks with no sign of stopping. She rubbed an arm over her eyes in an effort to hide them from her great-grandfather, but there was really no point. "I really w-wanted to meet y-you Ojii-san," she choked out, her voice breaking.

A large hand enveloped her arm, prying to gently away from her face, allowing the Nidaime Hokage to see her face. "It is I who has longed to meet you, Senju Mito," he firmly corrected her, cupping a fair cheek in his palm as he smeared away her tears with his thumb. "You have grown up beautifully…you remind me so much of Suiren."

Mito blinked through her tears, startled.

"She had difficulty fitting in in Konoha," he continued, "she was judged every step of the way as both a Kiri native and my wife, but she rose above, just as you have, and I see you have faced great hardships."

Mito sat down hard beside him, peering at him inquisitively with her red eyes. "I suppose you are real," she mused, "but you're also dead, so…" She looked him up and down. "How does this work? Where exactly are we?"

"Your mind, the wishes, your memories," Tobirama shrugged his shoulders, "a mixture of the three…" His attention was directed to the opposite engawa where a pair of children was playing shogi. Mito and Shikamaru, it seemed, when they were much younger. The perpetual scowl was a constant present on her younger self's face as she made a move on the shogi board, and then the pair grew before her eyes until Shikamaru grabbed her hand suddenly, taking off into the forest as his mother yelled after them.

A small chuckle escaped Mito; she remembered that day quite well, he'd asked her on their first date.

Tobirama peered after her boyfriend. "That boy…he's a Nara isn't he?"

"Yes," Mito agreed, her grin wide.

Tobirama glanced at her, chuckling as well at the soft look in her eyes, so much like Suiren's. "He treats you well?"

"The best," Mito agreed.

"Good."

Mito's cheeks flushed slightly.

"As to how this works," Tobirama continued from her earlier question, "when my son was still in Suiren's womb I channeled my chakra into a simple seal that then attached to him, allowing my descendents after him a small amount of access to my chakra to be activated in times of stress." He glanced at her. "You are at a loss, it seems."

"I do not know how I should view anything," Mito admitted after a long silence. "Being a member of ANBU has brought me clarity in how the world works, it has brought me joy and sadness." Tobirama watched as wet dots spread across the material covering her thighs. Tears. "I just received word from Sandaime-sama that my ANBU partner, Aburame Komachi, is dead."

"You were close," the Nidaime Hokage guessed.

"She was the best," Mito pointed out, drawing her knees to her chest, hiding her face effectively. "And I was the worst."

A large hand dropped to ruffle her hair affectionately and she lifted her head to stare into his crimson eyes. "In ANBU there are never the best or the worst. All members are talented, but some are better suited for the regular forces, like you."

"Perhaps," Mito mumbled.

"The future is filled with such possibility," Tobirama added, squeezing her hand gently as he feathered a kiss to her forehead directly over her seal, "maybe you should think of yourself, for once."

* * *

Fuu hissed under her breath, carefully wrapping her bruised and cut wrist in gauze, wincing as she tied it tightly. She barely blinked when Mito handed her a bag of ice, dropping it softly onto the bandage, sighing softly as she did so. "Mito-sensei?" she asked after a long moment, her tangerine orbs meeting Mito's luminescent eyes that were now the color of amaranthine in the setting sun. "How hard did you have to work to be as good as you are?"

Mito shrugged carelessly, so used to downgrading her skills. "A good while," she said after a long moment, though Fuu had no idea what that meant. "The one thing you can never forget, Fuu, is your resolve to become better. You'll find people that you will come to admire and they will inspire you, you'll want to prove yourself by basing your skills off theirs, but you shouldn't."

"Eh?" Fuu canted her head to the side in confusion, furrowing her forehead slightly. "What d'you mean by that?"

Mito's eyes narrowed slightly in thought as she considered her answer to that. "When I was younger, I wanted to be just like Kaa-chan, but I can't be; I've rarely ever seen her use Ninjutsu and the Hiraishin is something my great-grandfather created, so naturally I'd have an interest in it. I can push my body as far as it can go and I still won't be just like her, and I don't care anymore because, being me and choosing my own path is something she always wanted me to do." Mito tossed a wink to Fuu. "All I'm saying is be who you want to be, and don't let anyone question you."

Fuu could never tell what she was thinking when her eyes got that way, though she suspected that Mito had heard that Mei-sama had approached her about remaining in Kiri for a few more weeks to months and assisting with the medical program.

"So," she began carefully, "you're saying I should stay?"

"If that's what you want," Mito said easily. "I have already informed Hokage-sama that my second apprentice will be a bit later following my return."

Fuu sputtered incoherently, her tongue ceasing to function for a few seconds. "Wait, you knew I was going to choose to stay?"

"As a medic-nin, I can understand wanting to help people," Mito said easily, her eyes following a father and his son as they walked by, the father had a bandage wound tightly about his head and was missing a few fingers. "I believe it would be in your best interests to spend a month or two assisting the rebuilding of the medical program here in Kiri."

Fuu stared at her, her mouth dropping open in surprise.

"I'd feel more confident if it was you than Matsuri," she admitted, watching her brown-haired apprentice perform her Taijutsu katas not too far away, though far enough that she would not hear them. "Matsuri is too kind. Sometimes it is good, and sometimes it is bad. She is capable of being a strong, powerful, able kunoichi, but I'm afraid she'll lose her nerve." Purple eyes shifted to survey the former Taki kunoichi and a wry smile curled her lips. "You, on the other hand, have lived as a kunoichi and know how to live as one. I don't have to worry about you."

Mito took a long swig of her tea. "I'm asking you to stay here, because I know that it's what you want…you know that, right?"

Fuu glanced around the recovering city. Mito was right, she did want to help, and Mito was on a tight schedule; they were due back to Konoha days ago and they were running late.

"I've informed Mizukage-sama that you will be assisting her for the next two months before returning to Konoha," Mito continued. "I'm sure you will find that satisfactory?"

"Mito-sensei," Fuu murmured, her hair shadowing her eyes, "thank you."

The smile she received in return was the only response she gave.

* * *

Matsuri took Mito's hand as the older girl helped her from the ship, finally onto dry land. The whole trip back had been as worse as the way over and Matsuri had found herself locked in the barracks with a green tinge to her face.

"Do you think Fuu-san will be alright on her own?" Matsuri inquired to her sensei of her fellow apprentice.

"Don't worry too much about Fuu," Mito said with a chuckle, ruffling Matsuri's brown spikes like she always did, taking a small scroll from the Kiri shinobi who had joined them on the journey, thanking him politely. "She knows what she's doing."

Somehow, Matsuri couldn't be as sure as her Shishou in that regard, but she dropped the subject as they weaved through the crowd of sea merchants, the throng of people pushing against them as they moved. Getting through them was a bit of a trial, but in the end they managed it.

But then someone else was blocking their path. It was a lone figure wearing the white flak of Kumo. Her dark skin was typical of those in Kumo, but her hair, not so much.

She skidded to a stop in front of Mito, her light grey bangs swinging from the movement. "Senju-sama, I presume?"

Mito's eyes narrowed dangerously, her arm dropping to her waist in what seemed like a casual motion, but Matsuri knew of the hidden compartment of senbon she carried there. "Do I know you?"

"I am Mabui of Kumo," she introduced herself, "and no, we have never met. I am Raikage-sama's assistant."

Mito did not relax her stance despite being familiar with the legendary A. "Am I correct in assuming his **Bakuretsuchuu (Exploding Insect)** as grown to such a size that it needs immediate removal?"

"Hai, that is correct," Mabui conceded. "We cannot ask this of our own medic-nin because they have neither the skill nor the clearance, and if you were to complete this task, you would be paid handsomely, though you will have to sign a silence agreement." Why did it seem like Mito had to pick up the slack for incapable medic-nins? Honestly, what was the world coming to? First Kiri, now Kumo?

"And if I were to ask for payment in the form of a body?" Mito found herself inquiring.

Now Matsuri was looking at her oddly for such a strange request, but Mito's eyes were hard sapphire.

Suspicion crept into Mabui's voice. "What kind of body are you speaking of?"

"The deceased body of Hyuuga Hizashi."

Mabui couldn't hold back the surprised gasp that escaped her. "Um…well," she rambled, "You'd have to take it up with him, I'm afraid."

"I intend to."

* * *

Mito could feel the eyes on her as she carefully dug the scalpel into the Raikage's skin, efficiently removing one of the bug's legs from the chakra network.

"I am in the middle of a surgery, Bee-sama," Mito said without preamble, not looking up from the bulging insect-shaped injury, making sure that her assistant's use of the hemostatic jutsu was spot on; she would hate to be the blame of the death of the Raikage.

"Tell me how you became a pseudo-Jinchuuriki," the Raikage's younger brother commanded in his rapping way, "'cause you so sneaky!" Mito twitched at the terrible rhyme, but could tell it was also an invitation. She said nothing for a moment, even as Matsuri's dark eyes flashed up to her sensei's face, and the green chakra fanning out around her hands wavered slightly.

"Focus, Matsuri!" snapped Mito, "Do not allow yourself to lose focus during a surgery!"

"H-Hai!" Matsuri's eyes narrowed in concentration. _I am the apprentice of Senju Mito,_ she told herself, _and I will prove myself to her!_

Mito released a soft hiss as the last leg proved quite difficult to excise, and then a sigh escaped her lips as she tossed the blood covered white insect onto the floor.

"Close him up," she ordered her apprentice, handing the insect to one of the only Kumo-nin who had any knowledge of the operation with instructions on how to destroy it.

Mito pulled the bloody latex from her hands and into the dustbin, turning her tired eyes to the man who was a Jinchuuriki judging by how his chakra felt, and the seal on his shoulder was a dead give-away. Inwardly, she was relieved that he didn't recognize her as a Jinchuuriki; she liked her anonymity. "The Ichibi was sealed inside my brother when we were both still inside the womb, one of the many reasons I am so gifted is because of my exposure to the raw chakra of Shukaku. Now," she rubbed her eyes in exhaustion, not even bothering to hide her yawn, "If you'll excuse me and my apprentice; we are long overdue for some rest. We'll have time to chat tomorrow, if I can manage to stay awake." Mito gave another wide yawn.

She waved them all good night, following Mabui who took them to an inn to stay the night in.

"Thank you," the woman said again. "I don't know-"

"Its fine, really," Mito assured her with a slight smile, "it's kind of our job, right Matsuri?"

Matsuri had been worried that Mito had been regretting taking her on as an apprentice, but the smile she cast towards her drove those feelings away. And she nodded in agreement, but despite that, the next morning she was still a little worried.

"You did well yesterday."

Matsuri jumped at the voice and looked up to the face of a medical-nin she had seen her sensei talking to when she was half-asleep; they apparently knew each other. She relaxed slightly. "But I screwed up."

He snorted beside her. "We all screw up, Matsuri-san, what matters is that we learn from our mistakes. We'll just have to work harder when we reach Konoha, that's all." Matsuri liked how he said 'we' and not 'you', it made her feel less pathetical, but, then again, neither of them would be matching Mito any time soon.

"I'm Amai, by the way," the man said, handing her an onigiri. "I met Mito-sama when she was a little girl."

Matsuri nodded distractedly, smelling the rice ball for any hints of a poison; this seemed to amuse Amai.

"Your master's taught you well," he informed her with a smile, "but don't worry; we don't poison people after they help us out."

Matsuri nodded, nibbling on the rice. "What was she like, you know, when you met her?"

Amai sat down next to her, swinging his legs off the balcony as well as he pondered her question. "Well, she was blind for one, and that made it difficult to take her seriously, she was a little quiet, but firm as well; it's hard to believe that she's almost as famous as her mother."

"Funny thing, isn't it?" a mild voice asked, having Matsuri scramble into a standing position. "Time; so many things can change given the opportunity."

Mito's hands rested on her apprentice's shoulders as she gazed at the medical-nin. "I hope you aren't trying to insult me, Amai-san."

Amai tumbled over his words. "Of course not, Mito-sama!"

She smiled, genuinely this time, and Amai blushed. "If you'll excuse us, we have to check on Raikage-sama; come along Matsuri."

Matsuri grinned, following her sensei. So much had changed in the last few months, especially for Matsuri and Fuu. Matsuri had thought she was going to have to give up her dream of being a great kunoichi, since she could barely touch weapons, but then she'd gotten up the courage to ask and she hadn't been denied. Matsuri had been given a remarkable opportunity, and as such, she was subjected to jealous glares, but she didn't mind, because she still remembered the day when Mito told her that she was a uniquely gifted kunoichi, perhaps even more gifted than her two apprentices back in Konoha, as gifted as Fuu. The two were special she had informed them, very special. She told them how proud she was to have taught them.

"You must be feeling quite well, Raikage-sama," Mito said, her tone lifting into a sardonic nature, "for I can see no other reason for you to be working directly after a surgery."

The Raikage set his paperwork aside. "And you know for me, weakness is not an option; how much do I owe you for your discretion?"

"You will need a check up in a few months to ensure there is no debilitating damage done to your body, but I can do that under the pretext of a nearby mission I am sure..." Mito's violet eyes narrowed. "I will not reveal the details of my service to you, for one price." Matsuri's eyes sharpened, remembering the price she had named days earlier, the body of a deceased man.

The Raikage's assistant, Mabui interjected suddenly, trying to convince her yet again, "If its money-"

"No," violet eyes cut to Mabui's green ones, effectively silencing the kunoichi, "I want the body of Hyuuga Hizashi."

The silence was deafening.

"That is a very high price," A growled, "What would make you demand such a thing?"

"His son," Mito said shortly, earning her a concerned and a confused look from Matsuri. "A son that never got to bury his father."

A met her gaze, but her amethyst orbs were unwavering. "I would only agree to such a thing because of the great service you have done for me."

He could see the gears behind her eyes turning, trying to smell out a lie, but found none; he could see the brilliant strategist beneath the beautiful kunoichi.

A stood. "Follow me."

Whatever Mito was expecting it was not a hospital. "Raikage-sama?" she asked nonplussed as he led them down a deserted hallway to come to a stop. She took one look inside and gasped. Mito, of course, did not recognize him, but his chakra signature was nearly identical to Hyuuga Hiashi's-twins. The man was supine, wearing a simple white kimono, an oxygen mask had been placed over his mouth and an IV drip had been set up beside him. The steady beeping on the heart monitor was the only relief to Mito's frantically beating heart.

"He's…still alive?" she asked blankly, turning her shocked eyes to the Raikage.

"We realized soon after Hyuuga-san was brought here that he wasn't Hiashi, the Head of the Hyuuga Clan," Mabui explained, "and once we realized killing him would negate the affects of his Byakugan, we had him placed into a medically induced coma until we could figure out a way to cancel his cursed seal."

"I see," Mito said coldly, and Mabui quickly silenced herself, remembering she was in front a loyal kunoichi of Konoha. She turned to Amai. "Will his breathing rate change when we remove him from the oxygen mask?"

"No, Mito-sama," he assured her, "the breathing mask was just a precaution.

"Alright, then." Mito's face was solemn as she made three hand signs. "**Henge no Jutsu (Transformation Technique)!"**

Hizashi's unconscious form was enveloped in smoke, and when it had cleared, a much younger Hizashi lay there, perhaps seven or eight years old. Mito removed him from the machines, lifting him gingerly into her arms before bowing to the Raikage. "Raikage-sama, you have my word, not even the Hokage will hear of the exact service I performed. Now, if you'll excuse us, we have to be in Konoha by midday."


End file.
